Jessica James and McKemie Place provide shelter . . . and hope
Jessica James, executive director of Mobile's McKemie Place, hugs a woman who has recovered her hope through the shelter. (Karim Shamsi-Basha)
It all started with a dream.
Jessica James was set to move to Washington, D.C., in spring 2014. Then, she heard about a position as executive director at McKemie Place and met with a board member of the homeless women’s shelter in Mobile. The board member told her she was needed.
“This position presented itself while I was in the midst of a transition. Days after hearing about it, I met with a board member and took a tour of the shelter,” James said. “After meeting some of the women here I couldn’t turn my back on them. That night, I had a dream about one of the women. She was chasing after me, begging me not to leave her.”
The place does not strike you as a homeless shelter. The bedrooms are orderly, clean and bright. The dining room is full of light and faces that tell a rough story, yet faint smiles indicate that hope is attainable. When the women came in at 4 in the afternoon, I saw a few talking and smiling. One sat by herself and put her head down in her arms. James went and gave her a hug and began listening to her. Perhaps human touch was needed at that moment more than anything.
“Each of the women’s stories are personal and different,” James said. “Most of them don’t want to be homeless or on the streets. They just need a helping hand.”
Jessica James and McKemie Place give hope to homeless women from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
James spends most of her time fundraising and speaking, educating the public and raising general awareness of what has to be done to eradicate homelessness.
“At McKemie Place, we provide more than just a warm meal, a shower and a place to put your head down. We provide encouragement and whatever the guest needs to get back on their feet,” James said.
McKemie Place is the only overnight shelter for homeless women in Mobile, Washington and Baldwin counties. It has served hundreds of women every year since its founding in 2007, and has helped many find jobs and permanent housing. On McKemie Place’s website, you can read a few stories of the women who found hope. All of the stories made me thankful for what I have been blessed with, but one in particular made me pause and reflect on how fast things can change:
“It happened to me on Christmas Eve, of all nights. I was struck by a drunk driver. It hurt so bad, the pain made it so I couldn’t even work. I was living with friends, but I couldn’t do that forever. And before long, I became homeless. I never thought it would happen to me.
“But then I came to McKemie Place. It was my only hope for getting back on my feet. The staff and volunteers gave me dinner, a bed and the help I needed to get the medical treatments I needed. I found something else at McKemie Place. An inner strength. And that will always be with me. When I went in for surgery, they gave me a new, blue robe. I still have it. That robe is a reminder of how kind these strangers were to me,” a client of McKemie Place said.
James sees the solution through a change in the paradigm of how people view homelessness.
“Homelessness isn’t the problem; it’s a symptom of larger problems that need to be treated, like poverty, health care and drug abuse. Many reasons lead to people losing their homes, but we need to remember the underlying issues that need to be resolved,” James said.
Perhaps it started with a dream, but the reality is that at McKemie Place, Jessica James is providing hope and eradicating homelessness one woman at a time.
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
