Parolee says it's hard to get work living at a shelter
Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News
Published May 28, 2007 at midnight
Ferrell Griffin has worked installing cable and cleaning oil drilling equipment.
He also has sold crack, which landed him in prison and now at the Salvation Army shelter with dozens of other parolees and homeless people.
Griffin has been in the Denver shelter since he was paroled about two weeks ago. The 44-year-old says he would probably be allowed to live on his own once he finds a job and can afford rent.But, in his view, it's nearly impossible to find work while living out of a homeless shelter.
"I'm grateful for a place to stay," Griffin says, sitting in a folding chair at the Crossroads Shelter on a recent evening. "But you shouldn't put people in a place like this."
The Department of Corrections says parolees must have a fixed address, and sometimes a shelter is the only option.
"This is keeping them from living on the streets, and this is our way to manage and supervise them," says DOC spokeswoman Katherine Sanguinetti. "We know where they are every night. We can keep them safe and the public safe."
Parolees at Crossroads do not blame the Salvation Army but say the facility is not conducive to staying straight. They say drugs are readily available just outside. Hanging out with other parolees isn't exactly helpful either.
Griffin recounts a typical day at the Salvation Army that begins with the 5:30 a.m. wake-up call: "Get off the mats." He does not have a locker, so he must pack his belongings into his red duffel bag, backpack and red shoulder bag.
He eats breakfast for free at 6:30 a.m. at the nearby Denver Rescue Mission. Then he heads to the St. Francis Center for the homeless, also nearby, where he showers and makes phone calls.
But he says he's not among the residents who have a guaranteed bed. So he tries to be in line by 3:30 p.m. to get a mat on the floor. Having to queue up in the middle of the afternoon is not conducive to finding a job. Or keeping one.
"They're not giving us equal ground to stand on," Griffin says. "It's like we're a step behind already, and then they to put us two more steps behind to reintegrate into the system."
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