How an Austin church provides extra help for women experiencing homelessness | Grumet

Roberta Huff could have been any lady at any spa — relaxing in a blue plaid bathrobe and green shower sandals, her freshly washed hair still damp as she sipped coffee and delighted in a new bottle of perfume. The bright scent reminded her of a Nina Ricci fragrance, not too flowery.

“If you want to make me happy: Perfume. Perfume, and I will be ecstatic,” Huff, 62, told me Friday morning, sitting next to a rolling walker that carried her clothes, blankets and everything else she owns.

Her smile broadened. “Perfume and Whataburger,” she added. “That makes me really, really happy.”

Among those experiencing homelessness, the streets can be especially stressful and dangerous for women. But for a few hours every Friday morning, volunteers at First United Methodist Church of Austin create an all-female safe space where about two dozen women can exhale and regroup.

They can get hot showers and a fresh breakfast. They can wash a load of laundry. They can get some gently used clothes, their choice of books, space to work on a jigsaw puzzle or outlets to recharge their electronic devices. They can get referrals for services. And yes, they can pick out snacks and personal care items, including perfume.

Five years ago this spring, the church launched these “At the Well” events for women, evoking the biblical story in which Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water and then offered to quench her spiritual thirst.

“There’s so much in that story,” said the Rev. Cathy Stone, who dreamed up this program and made it a reality. “There’s crossing boundaries. There’s the gift of water as respite, as providing care, as giving something that is necessary.”

She nodded toward the volunteers pushing carts of coffee and fresh fruit between tables of guests, many in bathrobes.

“We think of this as a time of respite, a break from everything on the streets,” Stone told me.

About 40% of those experiencing homelessness in Austin are women, yet they seem even less visible in a city where camping bans push so many homeless people out of sight. Women without housing face particular peril: Half of those surveyed in a study out of San Francisco had been victims of physical violence in the previous six months, and 1 in 5 had been sexually assaulted in that time.

Some women who are homeless seek security by living in public view — Huff sleeps near a business that has security cameras and lights, for instance — but that lack of privacy also takes a toll. Women can feel when they are being sized up.

“At the Well” is a respite from that, too. Here no one is being watched. Instead, the guests are seen and heard by a volunteer brigade determined to make the women feel at home.

Shower times are assigned randomly, so no one feels like they need to arrive early and wait in line. Organizers maximize the access to showers by making two showers from the men’s restroom available, but they place a bamboo screen in front of the wall of urinals so women aren’t triggered by entering the kind of male space that, at other times, could be dangerous for them.

At the other end of the room, near a bank of windows, Jennifer Cruz gave free haircuts on Friday. She comes every few months. Sometimes she hears from grateful women who landed a job after their last haircut.

The most intense moments happen with women who tear up as Cruz gently brushes their hair. Memories of childhood come flooding back. It’s been so long since anyone touched them with care.

“I get to do that for somebody,” Cruz said, her eyes welling up.

After trimming about an inch and a half off Zeta Forsyth’s shoulder-length hair, Cruz used a feather razor to soften the gray strands framing her face. Then Cruz ran a fragrant silkening oil through Forsyth’s wavy locks.

“It feels great,” said Forsyth, 59, who often slicks her hair into a ponytail. “It feels lighter already.”

Stone couldn’t help but notice it’s mostly older women here, both among the guests and the volunteers.

“There’s a lot of grandmothers in this room,” she said. Just a shift in circumstances separated the women receiving the food from those serving it. A job loss. An abusive relationship. A health calamity.

A woman walked over and handed Stone two greeting cards to drop in the mail. The bright yellow envelopes were sealed and addressed, each carrying the hope of reconnection.

The return address simply said, “Your Mom,” with a heart.

Grumet is the Statesman’s Metro columnist. Her column, ATX in Context, contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@statesman.com or via Twitter at @bgrumet. Find her previous work at statesman.com/news/columns.

Lend a handFor information about helping the "At the Well" ministry for women experiencing homelessness, contact Associate Pastor Cathy Stone of First United Methodist Church of Austin at cathy@fumcaustin.org.