Working for change: Getting to know Jan Eliassen of the Gladys Rays Shelter

This week, we are kicking off a new series of articles that will periodically profile those with unique, rare and odd jobs in the community. Last Sunday at the 2nd Annual Bartenders Battle, HPR raised over $2,700 for the Gladys Ray Shelter and Veterans Drop In Center, a homeless shelter in Fargo that takes in those in our community that others won’t.

As chronic homelessness has become a problem in Fargo-Moorhead in recent years, it became apparent of a need for a shelter that would take those that struggle with chronic chemical dependency and can’t necessarily be sober every night they need shelter. Seven years ago this March, the Gladys Ray Shelter opened for just that reason.

Jan Eliassen had been helping at-risk youth in the community in various positions for over 20 years. When she saw the controversy over the Gladys Ray Shelter opening, she immediately thought about applying for the director’s position when it was posted. She is the only director the shelter has ever known.

“I really didn’t picture myself working with adults until this opportunity came along and now I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Eliassen said.

The director said one of the things she appreciates about her job is its good relationship with other shelters in town serving other needs. Staff at the Gladys Ray Shelter work with the staff of other shelters to identify those homeless citizens who may have slipped through the cracks.

“We want to provide a place for folks that had either seen so little success in kind of the traditional shelter system or just had lost the option for a whole variety of reasons to enter in to other shelters, and a lot of that had to do with people who were really struggling with alcoholism and they drank that day,” Eliassen told HPR.

“It’s really tough to serve people who are actively using in other shelter settings because of the nature of the services that they offer and the people that they serve. So this shelter is specifically designed to work with folks regardless of what types of challenges they are facing that day. Sobriety is no requirement to walk through our doors.”

Despite the stress and sadness of working with people without homes that face chronic addiction struggles, Eliassen really loves her job. She said that the best part of her job is, in fact, her attitude about it.

“I get up every single day and I know why I go to work. I don’t ever dread coming to work, I don’t wonder why I do what I do because I always know. And I think that makes me one of the luckiest people I know, because I know not everybody has that experience with their job,” Eliassen replied.

“I believe that this shelter and the work that we do here and out in the community -- it’s all part of a bigger plan to explore solutions, and come up with solutions and try to create change in the Fargo-Moorhead community that we need to create if we’re ever going to effectively address this issue, especially when you are talking about chronic homelessness.”

Eliassen believes there are solutions to the problems of chronic homelessness and that it’s not something that communities just have to accept. One of the things the Gladys Ray Shelter does is connect shelter goers with services that can help them end the cycle they find themselves in. The worst part about her job, she says, is when that change of ending chronic homelessness doesn’t come fast enough.

“Sometimes creating the momentum that’s needed in order to keep moving forward and to keep pushing for solutions that work, sometimes just being patient and waiting for everyone to get on board is certainly one of the more aggravating pieces of my job,” Eliassen told HPR.

“Along with that, you have to really be thoughtful about taking care of yourself and making sure that all the folks you work with are being mindful and taking care of themselves as well. Because I can’t do what I do without everybody else that shows up here day after day, and this can be a really, really hard job.”

Even though that change is hard to come by, Eliassen believes there is some momentum for it in our community. She calls it “systemic change” and it’s what she’s fighting hardest for.

“The city of Fargo had a 10 year plan to end chronic homelessness. We’re a number of years into that plan now and we have to practice what we preach and start doing what we know has worked in other places. What’s worked in other places will work here,” Eliassen said.

Recently the city of Moorhead ran into some backlash when it tried to build a shelter for elderly, female and young homeless citizens. After initially opposing the shelter, city council reversed its decision and decided to move ahead with the project.

Eliassen said she understands why some would oppose such a project.

“I think there’s always going to be resistance to some degree when it comes to shelters and programs that are really aimed at serving people that are homeless, just because of this idea that people have about who homeless people are,” she said.

“And that’s one of the other things that we do -- just to keep educating the community and helping people understand that people that are homeless are not necessarily who they think they are.”

As for advice for those thinking of entering her profession, Eliassen said there is one crucial thing to remember.

“I tell people all the time you have to remember if you want to do this kind of work, you have to remember why you wanted to do it. And you have to keep that in mind the entire time you are working in this field, because as soon as you forget why you wanted to be, you become part of the problem,” she said.

Eliassen’s staff has been a big part of why she loves her job as well. She says couldn’t do it without each of them.

“Everybody around me is such a part of what I get to do every day,” she said. “I just can’t imagine doing anything else in my life at this point.”