Posted: Nov 25, 2014 4:35 PM ESTUpdated: Dec 03, 2014 3:49 PM EST
By Nate Mora
The Johnson City Salvation Army is reviewing its emergency shelter policy
after the organization turned away a homeless family with a teenage son
on a cold night earlier this month, all because of the boy's age.
Lejeune says on one of the coldest nights of the year, despite the organization's
white flag waving outside the shelter, Salvation Army turned his family away,
because his son is 15 years old.
"They said he's too old to stay on the women's side, because of the women
running
around in their pajamas and they said he's too young to stay on the men's
side in case
some pervert wants to do whatever," Lejeune said.
Lejeune says his wife, their 15 year-old son, 16 year-old daughter and five year-old
son,
all down on their luck, have been living in their car for the last several weeks.
Lejeune says it was so cold one night earlier this month he took his family to the
Salvation Army. Noticing the organization's white flag blowing in the cold air,
generally
a symbol that all are welcome due to hazardous weather conditions, he
says he
expected the organization to welcome them with open arms. Instead, he
says the
shelter told them there was no way they could stay there with a
15 year-old boy.
"He said, 'I'm sorry, your son, y'all can't stay here, because of his age,'" Lejeune
said.
"I said, 'Are you kidding me?'"
"It was just heartbreaking," 15 year-old Dustin Lejeune said late last week.
Prepared to return to their cars to sleep in 18 degree weather, Johnson City
police officers came upon the family and took up their cause. However, that
proved unsuccessful.
Certain the family should not be expected to sleep in their car on one of the
coldest
nights of the year, the officers brought the family to the Johnson
Inn and then did
something remarkable. They pooled their resources and
were prepared to pay for
a motel room for the family with money out of
their own pockets.
"They collected money to put the family up and when they were at the
Johnson
Inn, the clerk that was working there that night realized what was
going on, so they themselves comped the room for the family," Maj. Garry
Younger said. "In return,
the officers took the money they collected and
went and bought groceries that
they gave to the family.
I'm very proud that we employ people with that
fortitude that care about
the citizens."
Police officers AD McElroy, Justin Jenkins, Toma Sparks and Robert McCurry were
not
the only ones to help this family with a selfless act. Along with police,
Washington
County-Johnson
City 911 dispatchers on shift two helped raise enough
money
to buy this family
groceries, dinner and
leave some cash behind for them.
Salvation Army Captain Michael Cox says the organization has a longtime policy
that prohibits boys ages 12 to 16 from staying at the shelter. According to Cox,
the
policy is in place for
safety reasons; ultimately to protect children.
Cox says space limitations at the shelter do not allow the building to house maturing
boys.
He says that policy has only been an issue once before in the last decade or
so.
That said,
he says the Salvation Army is now revisiting its shelter policy.
"It was an unfortunate situation altogether, because we did not have the facilities
to put that family in place," Cox said of the situation. "We did offer further
assistance
and that was
denied."
In the moments after we first met the family we shared their contact information
with
the Salvation Army. Monday their car was parked outside the organization.
The organization
has filled
up their gas tank and even let them spend a couple
nights at the shelter, but not
because of any change
of heart. Lejeune says their
15 year-old son is now receiving mental
help at an
area hospital.
"He ended up having a breakdown and ended up at Woodridge and felt it was
all his
fault that we were homeless that we couldn't go anywhere, because of
him," Lejeune said.
While the family awaits the release of their son, they say they are now trying
to get their
kids enrolled in school and find a permanent housing solution.
