A Place to Belong: Finding Home at the Welcome Resource Center

Having a place to call home is something many of us take for granted. It’s more than just four walls and a roof—it’s about security, comfort, and a foundation for a better life. For those without a home, every day can be a battle for survival, filled with uncertainty and isolation. Tonight, we delve into the harsh reality of homelessness and the efforts to provide not just shelter, but also dignity and hope. At the heart of this mission is the Welcome Resource Center, a sanctuary for those in need, offering more than just a place to stay—it’s a community that reminds them they are not forgotten. Here’s Sabreena Daly with this week’s Look on The Bright Side.

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

For Dorris Forman, working at the Welcome Resource Center is more than just a job, it’s a personal mission. She understands what it’s like to have nowhere to turn, to worry about where the next meal will come from, and to feel invisible in your own community.

 

Dorris Forman, Attendant, Welcome Resource Center
“I was there, homeless for a while. At a certain park, I used to sleep at a park.  It used to be, um, I don’t even go to the park anymore. Lotus Matias Park. And, um,  I always tell people I can relate to it because I was there before I got where I’m at today.”

Dorris now works at the Welcome Resource Center, a day facility in Belize City that supports the homeless and mentally ill. It’s a place where people can get a hot meal, take a shower, find clean clothes, and most importantly, regain their dignity. The center’s mission is simple yet profound: to offer a haven for those with nowhere else to go. Like many who walk through its doors, Wellington Matura relies on the center to meet his most basic needs. Without a home of his own, he struggles to find consistency in his daily life. The resource center has helped him maintain some stability, offering the essentials that many take for granted.

Sabreena Daly

“You are currently displaced without a home?”

 

Wellington Matura, Resident, Welcome Resource Center

“Yeah, right now, yes. I am homeless.  That’s why I mostly come here on the weekdays. I shower and eat a good meal. That’s why I’ve gained a few pounds since coming here for the last year and a half.”

Since opening in 2013, the Welcome Resource Center has faced challenges in staying visible, even as it serves some of Belize’s most vulnerable people. Many of its clients struggle with mental illness, displacement, or financial hardship. Administrator Tina Gill explains that the center is a refuge, helping people find stability in an otherwise uncertain life.

 

Tina Gill, Administrator, Welcome resource center
“ We seek to provide here essentially a home, a safe space for our members to come and relax for the day. So we provide meals for them, breakfast, lunch. We also provide showers so that they are able to get clean clothes and just relax in the atmosphere as if they were in a home.”

 

Providing this level of service is a significant challenge. With more people being referred by social services, health clinics, and community outreach programs, keeping the center’s doors open requires a lot of resources. The cost of daily operations is high, requiring a steady flow of funding to sustain the center’s mission.

Tina Gill
“What it takes financially to keep the center’s door open is very large. Um, we provide, as I said, meals every day. So that’s breakfast and lunch.  We also are providing, uh, electricity, cable, water, you know, so it does take a toll. We do want to be able to network with large corporations so that they’re able to come into the center, come one day and we give you a walkthrough. We’ll show you what we have, what we need so that they can see that, yes, there is a need here to provide the resources and continue to provide the resources for our members.”

 

Despite the help the center offers, nights and weekends are still uncertain for many. The center operates only during the day, providing meals, showers, and a safe space. But once it closes, members are left to fend for themselves, often without food, shelter, or support.

Dorris Forman

“ That’s what happens, a lot of them get frustrated and they get mentally sick.  Because they don’t have the support from the family. The family plays a big role with them.  Even if the family would only find at least a Sunday to give them a plate of food it would help. Here, they get fresh food every day. They have a fresh breakfast and a fresh plate of food every day. But on Saturdays and Sundays we don’t know what happens.”

 

For Wellington, the Welcome Resource Center isn’t just a place to get a meal—it’s a place that offers hope, a place where he is seen and cared for.

Wellington Matura

“ It helped me.  When early morning comes I know I have a place I can come and scrub my teeth, eat a good breakfast, shower, get a little rest if you want.”

 

Amid homelessness and isolation, the Welcome Resource Center stands as more than a place of refuge, it is a community that restores dignity, belonging, and hope. Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly

 

If you would like to support the Welcome Resource Center you can contact them at 202- 2511.