Ali Kopinto VISTA
Coalition for Compassion and Justice

Hope Cottage, Flagstaff, AZ

As I was driving to Hope Cottage in Flagstaff, AZ on a beautiful Arizona fall day I had no clue what to expect upon arrival. I had been conversing on the phone with Judy, the head of intake at Hope Cottage, for weeks. This was my first visit to a Women & Women with Children's Homeless Shelter, my mind was racing. I tried to remember my VISTA leaders' advice; that everyone has an individual story, remember to actively listen, ask and don't forget these people are just like you. So that is what I did, I went into this journey with an open mind and tired to remind myself as I was driving toward the San Francisco Peaks that ‘these people are just like me in so many ways, we are all just trying to make it'.

After getting a bit lost I found Hope Cottage. Surrounded by a fence and hidden away from any public eye. I was welcomed with open arms and first got a tour of the facility. The shelter is built in a U shape, with a small courtyard where the kids play in sandboxes and slides. Women were out and about reading, smoking and just passing the time. Judy brought me into the main office area and I sat for a while and read over Hope Cottages Shelter Manual. This was a main task of mine as a new VISTA, get to know other shelters policies and procedures. In reading through their manual I got a better idea as to what the basic structure of Prescott's Women & Women with Children's shelter will become. This was going to be a long journey with a large learning curve.

As I was walking through the courtyard with Judy we passed through the kitchen, laundry room and we were headed over to the clothing storage area. On our way there we passed Melissa, the Program Director at Hope Cottage. I explained to her my role in the hope that we would soon have a shelter for women in Prescott, AZ. I will never forget her response. Melissa tells me that every fall they get women and women with children walking from Prescott to Flagstaff, 91 miles, just to find safe shelter. I was astounded when she told me this, her demeanor and tone implying that this was a common occurrence. I myself could not even fathom how much time and energy it would take to walk from Yavapai County to Coconino County, especially with a small child.

This event and story empowered me to ask more questions as to why has nothing been done to solve the cycle of poverty in Prescott? Yet what I have learned through my research is that people and community organizations have tried to help this population but, what an overwhelming task to take on. This is not a task for one non-profit to have sole responsibility of; we need to come together on this issue. Learning from people's individual stories & visiting programs in Yavapai County who provide services to the homeless population made me realize that homelessness is alive and prominent in Prescott, AZ.

As a community we are responsible for providing citizens their basic human rights; food, water and shelter. This was not being done. One goal as a VISTA is to insure that no longer will a woman or woman with her children ever have to make that long, arduous walk from Prescott to Flagstaff ever again. Right now this goal is still a work in progress, yet Melissa's story continues to fuel the fire so that one day this goal will hopefully some day become a reality.