Walter Davidson vividly remembers the day he raised his hand. He had been involved in the cold weather emergency shelter and was invited to attend their board of directors meeting but didn’t know why. “I started praying and asking the Lord for understanding,” Davidson recalled. Prior to the meeting, “I kept thinking, ‘raise your hand’.”

At the meeting, the announcement was made: the current directors of the long-term temporary shelter, then known as the Community Emergency Shelter Project, were stepping down. Founders Donna Clark and Brenda Jordan were moving on and Clark asked if there were anyone who would take over the project. Davidson said he felt the eyes of all those in attendance on him and up went his hand.

Already working considerably more than full time as a salesman at Pohanka Automotive and a board member at the Lower Shore Continuum of Care, as well as a shelter volunteer, he agreed to become director of CESP in 2019.

The shelter, now known as Hearts and Hands Ending Homelessness, provides a warm bed and 3 meals for up to 36 men from mid-November through mid-April. Area churches used to host the shelter a week at a time, but now it’s found a semi-permanent home at Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church on John Deere Drive. Their community building, used primarily for church dinners, now contains rows of cots divided by makeshift clear plastic sheeting hanging from PVC frames.

Davidson explained how the shelter runs. Every day about 4:30 p.m., a driver from the shelter picks up homeless men from a spot in downtown Salisbury, making a couple of trips to get everyone there. Not everybody gets a ride; the only caveat is they have to check in by 8 p.m. or there’s no admittance. He holds firm to that rule. Davidson is not only providing warm surroundings and food; he said he’s also teaching accountability.

The men are checked in by volunteers and a paid staff person, and given a Ziploc bag of toiletries and basic clothing items. Dinner is provided by volunteers – anyone from the community can sign up – or by regular volunteers at the shelter. The men receive breakfast the next morning and a bag lunch, and are dropped back off in downtown Salisbury. And each day plays out the same.

Aside from meeting the most crucial needs, Davidson said he tries to help the men obtain birth certificates, social security cards, and ID cards. He also works on getting those who need it into rehab and helping them find jobs. He’s especially thankful that in his first year, he was able to get 14 men into permanent housing and 16 last year.

“I’m not a social worker,” he pointed out, “but I started listening to them. I said, what are your barriers?” He began asking the men about their families and their situations, anything to connect with them and get to know them better.

But let’s go back to when he first took over the shelter. His first year, 2020 -2021, was COVID and everything was shut down. The churches that housed the emergency shelter were now closed and Davidson said, “I prayed for the Lord to show me what to do.” He tells an incredible story with a chain of events that he says was only possible by God working out the details. Connections were made and Wicomico Presbyterian Church agreed to host the shelter at the church-owned Langeler Memorial Building. But Davidson was still looking for something more permanent, finding their current location the following year.

He also wanted the shelter project to become an official non-profit, and Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore helped him realize that goal. He also needed more reliable transportation for the men, and was able to purchase a van because of a large donation.

In every detail of every story Davidson tells, he credits God for working things out. But it wasn’t always that way. He was working multiple jobs, including managing a heavy metal band, booking gigs and partying on the west coast, “drugging and drinking” the voice away that questioned what he was doing with his life.

And then, after initially ignoring his coworker’s suggestion to watch Dr. Ed Young, a pastor on TBN, one morning, he turned on the TV. He had gotten divorced, he was questioning his choices, and that day, “I surrendered my life to God. Just like that, I did a 180,” he said. About six months later, “I heard a voice telling me to take all my flannel shirts and every warm blanket I had and donate them,” he continued. That led him to the Christian Shelter, where he quickly began volunteering.

Now remarried, he often volunteers at the shelter with his wife. Vicki Davidson said she mostly works the 5-8 p.m. shift, helping with meals and check-in. Many of the linens for the men have been donated from local businesses, she noted. Towels, sheets, blankets and pillows are all provided.

The shelter is supported by grants and the community, Davidson said. He had to learn to write grants to seek funds from the Department of Housing and Community Development and it’s the Somerset County Health Department that oversees the grants and divvies it up between Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties. While Davidson has not taken any money for working at the shelter, he does use grant money to pay some overnight staff, a van driver, and a kitchen manager.

Jerry Palmer is one of the paid staff who works five evenings a week. He explained that once a man gets a bed at the shelter, he has to call in if he won’t be there the next night, but if the person doesn’t call in for two nights, the spot is forfeited. “If we want to continue the operation of this shelter, we have to have some rules and guidelines,” he said. “I like to talk to them before dinner. I tell them my expectations, see if there are any issues.”

For him, too, he knows the shelter is about much more than meeting basic needs. He tries to instill the importance of treating one another with respect and dignity. “I have a good relationship with these guys. I really appreciate that,” said Palmer, who also directs Salisbury Urban Ministries food pantry.

The question had to be asked – what about safety? Do issues arise? Last year, he said, a few guys became belligerent early one morning and would not listen, so he did have to call the police, but that’s not frequent.

Every shelter in the area has its own rules, and for Hearts and Hands Ending Homelessness, it’s a “come as you are” philosophy, Davidson said. If a man shows up drunk or otherwise, he can come in, but drugs or alcohol are prohibited on property. No questions asked; it’s not allowed.

Davidson said his long-term goal is to find a permanent location for the shelter, and eventually hand the reins to someone else. HHEH briefly considered being involved with the City of Salisbury’s Anne Street Village of tiny homes, but the purchase price was far beyond what they could afford.

The most pressing needs at the men’s shelter are for meals and clothing, namely sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts, boxers, and winter jackets. All sizes are welcome, but L, XL and 2XL are most wanted. Anyone – whether it’s an individual, a family, a business, community group, or church – can make a meal. Help is also needed for nightly registration. Volunteer for the check-in desk here or for meals here.

Another local shelter will be featured next.