Hi, I’m the Anton that Tim has now immortalized on YAR. It was great meeting Tim during his visit here to Georgia for our CPT gathering but it was humbling to hear that he would be writing about our community, Alterna.

In regards to your comments and questions I offer these reflections and/or questions…

Does the mutual friend live near you?

What church resources have you tapped into?

If she is open to the idea, a Spanish language church may be a place to find her some female roommates that should be in a safe environment.

In regards to making decisions for her, I agree that her dignity should require anyone seeking to assist her to simply provide her with all her options, help her explore the costs and benefits of each but then to ampower her to make her own decision, even if it goes against our personal moral or cultural code.

Why would your landlord be opposed to a roommate? Is your home already at a prestated limit?

At Alterna we also offer hospitality to immigrants in need of transitional housing. We never know how Jesus is going to appear to us. He’s come in the disguise of men released from prison, couples with small children from off the streets of Atlanta, women in crisis pregnancies. Now, we have the luxury of now having a separate apartment for transitional housing but we still always place a single person with one of our families. You’re right, you don’t know who you’re going to get but perhaps instead of looking at her as an unknown, long-term roommate you could reframe this opportunity into a gift from God and see her as a child of God in need of transitional hospitality.

I’d be more than happy to continue this conversation with you and consult with you on how to be an ally to this young woman, if she’s wanting to relocate.

Feel free to email me at anton[at]alternacommunity[dot]com.

What an exciting opportunity you have for cross a border of sorts!

I was recently asked to help find resources (both job and living situation) for a twentysomething Guatemalan woman who is considering moving from Florida to Ohio in search of work. She had a job in Florida, but it dried up with the latest economic crises. The person who asked me to help find a job and housing for her knows her well and actually grew up with her in Guatemala, so there’s special concern for her well-being. Option after option was discarded to suggest to her, because in most places around here where Spanish-speaking immigrants live, the vast majority are single (or those who act single) men. A single woman would be at particular risk, so we’re looking for a Spanish-speaking family we trust who might be able to accommodate her.

Then it hit me: If she were anyone else, how would we have responded? Would our first thoughts have been, “There are too many men with bad ideas in this town and that town and that town, and we don’t know families in those areas who can help protect her”? Or would we have passed another woman’s name along to the usual “people who help immigrants” and felt no responsibility after that?

Don’t get me wrong–I would love to be able to provide this woman with a home myself. My landlord would not be happy with that, nor would it be very convenient for me since I’m getting married soon and my fiance will be moving in with me. I’m sure we could have made it work if my landlord were OK with it. Well, I shouldn’t say that either. Good roommates are hard to find, and they’re even harder when you’re a vegetarian who wants to keep a vegetarian kitchen. Since I don’t personally know this woman from anyone (yet) I don’t know if we would be at each other’s throats every day or not.

When does “relationship” mean testing the waters in a way that could easily blow up in your face? When does it mean taking a safer route?