For Center City's Homeless, A Welcome Link to the Workaday World
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A charitable organization in the heart of center city Philadelphia is acting as a home base for thousands of men and women who don't have a permanent home.
For two hours a day, five days a week, the Broad Street Ministry, right across the street from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, operates a mail depot for homeless men and women.
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"With getting a mailing address, people can then get ID," says Brittany Mellinger, the group's manager of guest services. "They can get benefits, they can get employment. They have an address they can put on a résumé. It's a great first step."
Mellinger also provides personal care items, clothing, and other services for homeless people. She says Broad Street Ministry is one of the few places in the city that offers mail services for the homeless, which means they process hundreds of pieces of mail every day:
"Today we had 953 pieces, but that's a big day. Some days we have as few as a hundred."
Harvey (no last name given), 38, has been homeless for the past six months and checks for mail every two weeks.
"I get mail from the welfare department, and doctor's mail," he said.
Broad Street Ministry provides free mail services for 2,000 to 3,500 people every year.
