If there’s one thing Shannon Woloszynowski wants people to understand about homelessness, it’s that it doesn’t discriminate. And residents who live in the Historic Triangle are not immune.
According to data provided by Hands Together Historic Triangle, there were at least 90 homeless residents of James City County last year and at least 350 homeless students in the Williamsburg James City County school district.
“The biggest misconception about the homeless in Williamsburg is…that there are none,” said Woloszynowski, who serves as the director of the House of Mercy, a homeless assistance program sponsored by St. Bede. “The second might be that they are independent and transient. They have a community just like anyone else.”
Woloszynowski was one of more than 150 volunteers who assisted roughly 100 precariously housed or homeless members of the Williamsburg community last Monday in the fifth annual Hands Together Historic Triangle resource fair.
The event, held at the City of Williamsburg’s Quarterpath Recreation Center, offered over 50 different local services, ranging from legal advice to blood pressure checks and library cards to vision screenings.
Kelly Ptachick, an occupational therapist at Sentara Healthcare, volunteered her expertise Monday by offering free mobility equipment assessments.
“If you just start using any wheelchair, it might not be the right size for you or if you use a walker when all you need is a cane — you might reduce your ability further,” Ptachick said. “It’s important to match the right equipment with your needs.”
According to a news release, the Hands Together group is a collaboration of local businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and government agencies that provide services and help to local families in need.
“All the agencies that come to this event and the people who serve before and during it embody the goodness found throughout this community,” event Co-Chair Allison Brody said in the release. “No matter if one is giving or receiving, it’s a special day for everyone.”
