BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Area Drop In Center staff and volunteers are putting their best foot forward trying to fill the shoes of former Executive Director Melinda Bussino, who died suddenly on March 4 at age 65.
Newly appointed Interim Director Lucie Fortier has been involved with the center for 12 years, and said she is determined to make the transition as smooth as possible for all by addressing concerns, keeping communication open between herself and her staff and volunteers, and making sure the clients feel welcome and are getting the services they need.
Fortier said she wanted to encourage her staff to have positive attitudes and watch how they treat one another.
“It's a trickle-down effect,” she said. “How we treat each other is seen by the clients in how we treat them. If we treat each other with respect, we'll treat our clients with respect.”
But Fortier, in the staff's first meeting under her tenure, also took time to make sure the staff knew how proud the board was of their efforts over the tough last few weeks.
“Kudos to all of you for managing to pull it all together and all the work you've accomplished. The board really wants you to know how much you are appreciated,” she said.
Fortier told The Commons that her main push will be to clean up the building and “get rid of the clutter” so that clients have a nicer place to come to.
Fortier told staff that they would be getting new office furniture from Larry Smith of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee.
“We've always donated our office furniture, as it's not needed, to nonprofits in the area,” Smith said. “I know from being on the board how much they need that office furniture. We've got it, and we're happy to give it to them.”
Fortier expressed gratitude and took it a step further.
“I was thinking about painting the walls yellow, too,” she said. “Wouldn't that be nice and bright and make people feel good when they come in here?”
As she spoke, the sounds of hammering and talking filled the small front room as a small army of volunteers and clients helped to position a front desk that contractor Alex Bartlett was able to snag from one of his sites, making the reception area look more official. Excitement filled the air as the big desk was settled into the space.
But people are still dealing with the aftershock of Bussino's unexpected passing.
Assistant Director William “Bill” Davison reminded staff that “we all grieve in different ways.”
He paused, taking a quiet breath.
“We need to keep that in mind. It's been three weeks and it's been hard on everyone, staff and clients alike. We're not done yet. We need to be not just loving and kind to ourselves, but to each other and our clients. Especially our clients.”
Another staff member illustrated an example of Bussino's death and absence continuing to come up.
“This morning, someone came in and handed Bill a note from Melinda she had given the client. [The client] didn't even know [she had died]. It was hard.”
Davison looked down at his hands.
“Yeah,” he said. “That was hard.”
Fortier agreed, telling her staff that she too is dealing with the same things when she sits at Bussino's office desk, answering her late boss's emails.
“I feel like I'm violating her privacy,” she said. “Sometimes, I sit there and think 'I shouldn't be here.' I felt like I was intruding. I still feel that every day.”
Davison again spoke up. “One word: Patience,” he said. “We need to have patience with one another as we move through this transition.”
Inevitable tensions have arisen between people partly due to grief, partly due to changing dynamics filling and reorganizing around the hole Bussino left behind. Fortier is determined to make it easy for people to resolve these conflicts.
“Come to me,” she said. “Tell me what's going on. It's natural in any organization for there to be personality conflicts. And we're dealing with Melinda's being gone suddenly. Let me know and we'll do everything we can to resolve the issue.”
Night outreach volunteer Paul Mansur reminded fellow staff members that “the original policies are still in place, and we need to make sure they are adhered to.”
Apparently language (“using the F-word,” he said) has slipped a little, and “especially with young kids around who come in with their parents, they shouldn't be hearing that kind of language here.”
Davison chimed in, saying, “And when Paul says something, every single one of us needs to back him up, no matter what.”
“[Clients] have an option: they can leave,” Mansur said.
“And if he says that, we back him up, period,” Davison said.
Fortier announced that the Overflow Shelter's last night of the season would be April 1. The homeless people who have been staying in shelters will be moving back onto the streets and into the woods, and any camping gear will be crucial to have on hand for them.
“I've asked the interfaith council to announce our need for tents and sleeping bags,” she said.
Looking at Davison, she added, “Be prepared for an influx.”
Davison nodded, adding, “I've got a list of people who need this stuff. They can come to me and I'll put them on it. Now's the time for people to be donating those items.”
Mansur said, “And tarps. They use a lot of tarps.”
“Batteries and flashlights, too,” said Jaimie Vigneau, food-shelf coordinator, said. “And rain gear.”
With that mention, several staff recalled a rainstorm last year when people were leaving the shelter wearing plastic bags in place of slickers.
“Body bags,” Fortier said with a morbid sense of humor, and everyone laughed, lightening the mood in the room considerably.
Speaking of other items homeless women will need, Vigneau whispered, “and feminine hygiene products, too, particularly tampons. Living in the woods, women can't just go and get them.”
While a few of the staff members were still showing signs of grief through the meeting, the mood afterward changed to one of excitement as the new reception desk was being installed.
There were many smiles, and laughter was heard.
In among everyone, clients moved around, helping here and there in the room.
Amid the grief, a spirit of cooperation prevailed.
Fortier said a fundraiser for the Drop-In Center will take place all day on Friday, March 30 at the River Valley Credit Union at 820 Putney Rd., from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., where people can drop off donations of food, cash, clothing and camping gear.
A full list of suggested items to donate can be found at www.brattleborodropin.org.