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The House of Hosting of Saint Joseph, a place administered by the Missionaries of the Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Federation, in Carmo da Cachoeira, Minas Gerais, Brazil, begins open opportunity for the people who receive their help to spend their time in positive activities and in this way to sustain their process of recovery. The majority come from long years on the street and suffer problems of alcoholism or drug dependence.

Some have begun tasks of improvements of the place, with repairs, painting and building of walls inside the House of Hosting of Saint Joseph. Others began to revolve the soil and to remove debris, with the help of a tractor of the City Hall, while others have started to prepare seedbeds to make a vegetable garden. “Ever since its beginning, on the last 12th of July, more or less 50 brothers and sisters have approached the house. 10 of these have created a bond with us and come every day. Two of them have accepted to be referred to a recovery clinic while others have spontaneously stopped and now live soberly, without any specific action on our part. Some have decided to return to their homes, reconciling with their family members and now live individual processes of recovery”, told Bento, one of the Missionaries in charge of the House of Hosting of Saint Joseph.

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Clean clothes for those assisted.

“We serve them the three meals of the day, but we put as a condition that they begin to show changes of behavior, because the idea is not to contribute to their dependence”, he added. The hours of the meals are: breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 9 a.m., lunch from 12:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. and dinner from 6:00 to 7 p.m.. There is also a time for the shower, which is from 11 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.. They arrive, take a shower, change clothes and then sit at the table. “We say a prayer and then we silently eat with them. In the house, it is not permitted to have inharmonious talks, and they understand and adapt perfectly. After lunch they wash their clothes and on the following day they already have what to dress”, said Bento.

In his opinion, the House of Hosting of Saint Joseph must now take another step: seek a way to reinsert in society the people who are responding to the stimuli and support that they receive. “We have had a meeting with the Pastorals of the Catholic Church, with more or less 40 people, and they showed they are willing to help. The Parish Priest of the town supports us, he has visited us and is very glad about our work. People from the Pastoral of Health have also come and offered to help. I believe that with them we could create a kind of offering of work for the people who enter a process of recovery”, explained Bento.

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Removal of debris for the preparation of seedbeds.

“I value very much the hospitality they give me in the house, the human warmth with which they treat me, here I feel the presence of God. He gives you an opportunity and you must know how to profit from it. Now I am willing to make an effort to change my life, to leave the streets, I again hope to struggle, with the support of these brothers and sisters who are so good to me”, comments Ailton during a brief pause he gives himself to drink some coffee and thus alleviate the pressure of the organism accustomed to alcohol. Asked a question, he continues: “From now on, I want to find a job, a work that permits me to pay for a little room where I can live and in this way leave the street. At the moment, I am making some services here because you must not only receive, it is necessary to give, too, it is not just a matter of putting the hand all the time”, affirms, while he extends the hand as someone who asks for something. “At first, I only came here during the meals but now I spend the whole day doing some services. I have no family in Carmo da Cachoeira, I am from another town”, he adds. Then, in silence, he resumes his activity of plastering walls and painting one of them.

Casa_Acolhimento-09-08-2016_05The House of Hosting of Saint Joseph is open every day, lives on donations and welcomes the collaboration of everyone who is willing to help, with service or material support. The main needs are food, clothes, items of personal hygiene and cleansing of house.