This Week God Brought Us... "Tammy"

This week God brought us…”Tammy” who came to our front desk stating “I need emergency services.” She had a small dog on a leash, wearing an “support animal” vest.  Tammy’s face bore the unmistakable features of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This challenge was mirrored in her halting speech and characteristic “flat affect” in expression. Unfortunately, the dog was reacting to all of the new stimulus in our lobby and barking loudly. Tammy made few attempts to quiet or control the dog, and when she did try, the dog mostly ignored her. This made our conversation difficult.  I was able to grasp that Tammy’s phone had been turned off for lack of payment.  We’ll certainly help someone keep their phone services connected, but the fee to reconnect her far outstripped our resource for any one client. When it became clear that we couldn’t reconnect her phone without other help, she then started to ask about a bus pass. The dog was still barking. Nearby staff closed hallway doors in order to hear themselves in their meetings or on phone calls. Before I could take up the bus pass idea, Tammy pivoted to asking about clothing. Our volunteer brought her a few donated items, which Tammy received graciously. By this time – dog still barking – it was time to close our lobby for the day. Tammy gathered her new things and her dog and as she made her way out, she apologized if she’d kept us from closing on time. It was a challenge even to have a conversation with her thanks to her dog, but she was always calm. 

Clients sometimes have a hard time explaining what their needs are. Their lives may present as a never-ending press of unmet needs and focusing on one issue may not be easy. God brought us Tammy to keep us on our toes.