TheMagicOfDarla

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20100501

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

A tribute to Darla, and her role

as the heart of Pathway Homes.

 

Body

 

 

The Magic Of Darla

by Jerry W.

May 1, 2010 7.39 am

 

For over 20 years, Darla Downham was Pathway Homes

to a lot of people.  From receiving calls,

starting as a receptionist, working her way

to Property Coordinator in a career path

most clients would probably like to model,

becoming responsible for all the properties

and leases Pathways holds, subleasing to probably

some of the most difficult people,

myself included.

 

So when Amparo is introduced by Lauren Taub

or any other Pathways administration,

as "the new Darla", there is something missing...

 

 

Not just the baking people were so fond of,

[but I'd just heard about (I'm not supposed

to have sweets, lest I become Cookie Monster,

like with the former Governor Mark Warner

at the Olmstead final meeting,

when press barged in) or as someone once said

("I have a case of donuts and

I'm not afraid to use them").

It would not surprise me that she was

that sweet and caring to bake for the office

and coworkers...

 

 

Going to a farmer's market and finding

Grace's Pastries might salve the

baking, but won't solve the lack of caring,

and the personality we are all missing,

and people may not be talking directly about.

 

 

Replacing a receptionist is not the solution,

[though like lawyer jokes (in the movie Philadelphia

Tom Hanks in the role of a dying lawyer defendant

saying, "What's a 1000 lawyers at the bottom

of the ocean?", would be A Good Start,

maybe it's an inside joke, lawyers and others

know how annoying they can be to others...

 

But I digress, as Pathways grows, because we all know

homelessness and mental illness is increasing

despite the 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness

and the Recovery movement,

and all the other contributions both big

and small, like Autism the prevalence is

growing...

 

Darla is part of why Pathways has grown.

She cared, she made it a home

instead of just an apartment

or an annual crisis for those like me that

like to keep stuff that others might

clinically label hoarding and the rest

of the world see on a premium

cable, those that don't have a Mercedes

can't afford...

 

 

Despite living in a place for now 7 years

where the noise is a design issue apartment

complex wide and it wasn't an appropriate

placement to begin with...

 

Or the similar years before

coming from a shelter system into a first

apartment that was my own, a key

instead of a possibly nasty over crowded Shelter

reception, a permanent solution to what

was hopefully just a temporary

though chronic problem, one of many.

 

She helped in reasonable accommodations and

understood instead of just enforcing rules...

 

What is missing, the job isn't a role,

or a title, it's a calling...

 

The candid nature of the reality is

who is missing,  it's the caring

of a grandmother, instead of the

cold clinical nature of being a case

and having a worker, peer or not...

 

I'm sure it takes it's toll on one's heart

having increasing numbers of clients,

the homeless masses are likely on

the increase with the budget issues,

cutbacks and other priorities

like the War on Terror...

 

As someone who recently lost his father,

Dad helped move me into the current

place (with 2 rental truckloads of stuff

to a one bedroom apartment,

I used to have a house, had the lease

on a group home, a living situation

with my childhood dog, inherited furniture

from my Uncle who like Brian Barret

had cancer, but Brian helped bring little

couch/ love seat from an empty

place, to reuse and recycle

something.

 

 

So over 10+ years, I may not

have made the Pathways picnics,

that make the pictures and newsletter,

most of Pathways is too far out west

and I'm in South East

a dangerous bicycle ride,

a risky MetroAccess ride as

it was the cab companies that

didn't want to make the trip,

profit margins or something back

in September 9, 2008, a few days

before the 9/11 anniversary, 7

years previous that ran over my feet

one day going to Lamb Center to drop off

some extra Street Sense (the DC homeless

paper) as a donation, or showing off some

of my writing, before a RRWG meeting.

 

I made a few Pathways Christmas parties

at the Fairfax fire house,

might have even won a prize, or a raffle,

gotten a gift, I don't really recall,

[and probably can't find it

in all my stuff which is

really notes and research

for writing and consolidating

most things I can't summarize

record or remember, the meds

and depression may have gotten

or killed it.

 

 

But there wasn't room at the inn,

when Mr SH Cho was looking

at Brain Foundation opening Laura's

House in memory of Trudy Harsh's kid,

having merged with Wings House,

where in 2004 I helped paint,

but could not figure out how I'd fit in

with roommates after having had

a solo apartment and been on my own,

but having a yard, an opportunity

for a garden and a garage,

more space between neighbors,

and a better safer neighborhood,

but also probably needing a car,

as more remote in suburban Annandale...

 

For What It's Worth, Brain Foundation

was funded by RRWG and somehow

associated with Pathway Homes,

Likely Visitor S.H. Cho might have been trying

to find another place, or an alternative to

VA Tech shootings,

but there should be "room at the Inn",

instead of "our waiting list is full"

as Alexandria City also mentioned

in one NVRPP meeting as they planned

opened something, and it shouldn't take

just providers to create something

like part of what I was working on creating

with JerrySpaceIdea [see NoVAPeers.PBWorks.com,

nobody else is, Network of Care got the funding

for what I'd advocated for, but not what

I wanted.

 

 

And the Alexandria City community

is working on creating a Bicycle Coop,

off the ViaVelo pedicab

but maybe not like Phoenix or

Mount Rainer Coop on the edge of Maryland/

DC line, less corporate more community

and bottom up. where what people say

matters, and empowering.

 

 

But where ever you live, and whatever

your circumstance, we all need a little

more like Darla.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

20100501 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to send some nice wishes to Darla, discuss some
• issues and teach others how it should be done...

 

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