Moorings of Arlington Heights Seniors Create Sleeping Mats for Area Homeless
When residents at The Moorings of Arlington Heights senior living community were looking for ways to give back to their local community, they learned about New Life For Old Bags-a program that creates sleeping mats for the homeless out of discarded plastic bags. Using their handwork abilities, the residents are on track to complete 12 mats by the end of the year and are partnering with the "Public Action to Deliver Shelter" (PADS) program at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights who will distribute them to their guests.
About 20 residents from independent living, assisted living, health care and memory care take part in the several steps it takes to create a mat. Residents from health care and memory care help to cut the plastic bags into strips to form balls of plastic yarn or "plarn." Residents from independent and assisted living then crochet or knit the mats to about 30-36" wide by 60" long. Each mat takes about 82 hours and 750 bags to complete.
"The project began out of a community engagement initiative," says Paul Nustra, director of healthcare activities at The Moorings of Arlington Heights. "We were looking for projects that residents from every level of care might enjoy but that would also benefit the community. I became aware of New Life For Old Bags project, contacted them and they told they always need more."
PADS shelters operate nightly in local churches from October until April. In the warmer months, people who are homeless have to find other sleeping arrangements, and many choose to sleep outdoors. The plastic mats create a barrier against the cold and dampness of the ground. They are lightweight and easily carried by an attached shoulder strap.
All PADS shelter guests are clients of Journey's, The Road Home, a social services agency in Palatine, IL. Journeys provides help with jobs, housing and counseling, for those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The organization's website reports that in the Northwest suburbs alone, there are 1,200 homeless people accessing shelters with about 400 more homeless people residing on the streets, in cars and throughout forest preserves.
Do the mats encourage the homeless to sleep outdoors? A December 2012 NPR broadcast about homeless shelters explained why some people avoid them. They cite fear of crowds, illness, avoidance of conflict with others and concern about theft of belongings as among the reasons they remain on their own at night. Pets, who are like family to some homeless people, cannot come into a shelter. Some people may have unaddressed substance abuse problems and others may have a part-time job that keeps them from being in the shelter admission line on time.
"The Moorings residents made these mats with a lot of love and care," says Barbara Psimoulis, PADS co-chair at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights. "We are grateful to offer another item of comfort to our guests to use during the day as PADS shelters are only open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Most guests are working to get on their feet, and we try to support them as much as we can."
Moorings resident Jane Chauvin worked on her mat first in a group called "The Needlers" that meets weekly at the retirement community. She then began to bring it with her to different places like her hair salon where she would have time to work on it. "Everywhere I went people were so interested and excited about what I was doing. They all wanted to take pictures of me working on the mat. Many really appreciated the green aspects of repurposing the plastic bags, and they could see what a practical barrier they made against moisture and cold. I plan to start another mat after Christmas."
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About The Moorings of Arlington Heights
The Moorings of Arlington Heights, a member of Presbyterian Homes, is a continuing care retirement community located in Chicago's northwest suburbs at 811 East Central Road in Arlington Heights, IL, just east of Arlington Heights Road. The Moorings provides independent living in apartments or villas, assisted living apartments, skilled nursing care, specialized Alzheimer's care, and rehabilitation services.
About Presbyterian Homes
Founded in 1904, Presbyterian Homes is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization with a national reputation for creating extraordinary retirement communities. Presbyterian Homes serves older adults through its residential and healthcare programs on campuses in Evanston, Lake Forest and Arlington Heights. The organization is accredited by the CARF/CCAC, the nation's only accrediting body for retirement communities. To find out more about Presbyterian Homes, go to www.presbyterianhomes.org