LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Although Lance Marzula has only been the director of the Christian Shelter for the Homeless for a little more than a year, he is helping many families in need save enough money to get out on their own.

Marzula took over the helm in June 2011 after former director Patty Sumner left to pursue other opportunities.

“I volunteered here and then I became a night monitor, and then I became a case manager when Patty (Sumner) was here and, when she left, I became director. I’ve been here almost four years,” he said.

Marzula originally came from Los Angeles, Calif., five years ago.

“I moved my son out here to get away from the big city. It’s a better place to raise children. My wife was living with me in California but her mother lives in Corbin so I sent them to live with her. I followed soon after.”

Marzula can identify with the people at the shelter.

“In the past, I myself have experienced homelessness,” he only said, not wanting to relive his life as a young, homeless teenager on the streets of Los Angeles.

Joseph Hall and his two daughters have been living at the shelter for the past three weeks. Hall wanted to move from Rockholds, where he was staying with family, to Laurel County because of the educational opportunities for his children. Hall is from Ohio.

“I have an autistic child who is being taught here at the shelter,” he said.

“We got down here and we had people helping me getting our land together to move in a trailer and things went terribly wrong and I found myself without finances to do that. We had to have a place to live and the shelter caught me. It kept us from falling down. I don’t know what we would have done without the shelter. The help here has really been a lifesaver. I plan to move out in a few days after the rain stops when I can get my trailer moved.”

Robert and Leslie Hinkle came to the shelter with their two children because they could not make enough money to pay their bills.

“I couldn’t find work,” Leslie Hinkle said. “Robert has S.S.I., but that wasn’t enough to meet the bills. The only option we knew at the time was to move in with some family, and that turned into an even worse situation. We were spending more money in trying to pay their bills and there seemed like no way to get out of that hole. Some people at the church across the road from the shelter told us about this nice facility. This has been a blessing because we didn’t know how we were going to get back on our feet and save money. It’s been a safe, clean environment for us and our children.”

The Hinkles have been at the shelter for about a month and a half.

“I’ve had some health problems that I kind of ironed out and I’m getting better,” she continued. “I’m going to go to the Job Shop in a day or two and they’re pretty quick about putting me into something. I have applications in some places. I don’t think it will be very long. We don’t want to stay here too long and abuse the program. We just don’t want to be back in the same situation.”

Hinkle said a budget class was held a few days ago that was very helpful to her.

“I knew some of the stuff, but it helped me to kind of be reminded to get back on track. We write down everything we spend and that’s helped, too.”

Marzula has had several success stories.

“Our success rate is not 100 percent, but we’ve had several who have gotten jobs and are still working,” he said.

One man, who suffered from depression, came to the shelter with a daughter who had Down’s Syndrome. He got a job with Truitt Bros. and a place of his own.

One man is working at the London Regional Recycling Center and has been for a few years; a lady has been working at a gas station ever since she got out of the shelter a few years ago; and a couple of men are on their own working for the city planting flowers.

“If I thought I wasn’t helping anyone, I wouldn’t want to be here,” Marzula said.

Marzula’s job is to follow the policies set by the board of directors.

“Basically I run the whole place,” he said. “I do maintenance work, pay bills, admissions, make sure everyone is following the rules. If someone is using drugs or drinking, I’m not going to let them stay here. Everyone participates in keeping the place clean.”

Marzula said he was part of the cleaning up processes even before Sumner left and has continued to keep the place clean. He said he is also a little more careful about who he lets into the shelter.

“That’s not to say we won’t help people. But if someone is going to come here and try to manipulate us and to stay here and not try, we’re not going to let them stay here. I have a good way of picking them out because I’ve been homeless myself and can identify with these people. We will do everything we can to help people better themselves.”

Marzula said they will let visitors who are just passing through stay one or two nights.

The shelter currently has 25 residents, nine of whom are children.

Because of a lack of funding, the shelter is down to two employees beside Marzula. They have a cook and a weekend monitor.

The shelter has seen a decline in monetary donations from individuals and churches of late and has adopted a program called “100 for 100.” They are asking 100 people, businesses, churches or organizations to pledge $100 a month for one year to help pay their monthly bills, such as utilities and insurance.

Donations may be sent to 220 E. 4th St., London, Ky., 40741.  For more information, call the shelter at 330-0785.



cmills@sentinel-echo.com