'God's house'

Effective Compassion: A return to order helps shelter reclaim lives | Anthony Mator

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Five years ago, when Chico Daniels became director of the downtown Guiding Light Mission homeless shelter, drug dealers threw rocks at the windows to scare him back to California. For as long as anyone could remember, the street had been calling the shots, and 255 S. Division Avenue had a reputation as a gathering place for trouble. Dealers sold drugs in the restroom, brought prostitutes into the shelter, and did what they pleased without fear of punishment.

But Daniels, a biracial former drug abuser with a heart for the "elusive black male" and disadvantaged men in general, stated that the mission was "God's house." He also installed 16 security cameras inside and outside the building, revoked public access to the restroom, and required the homeless men to strip, shower, and change into clean clothes before entering the bedroom. Now, aside from a few stray flies in the pantry and a broken fluorescent light fixture in the fitness room, the premises are orderly and tidy.