Meet LexRAP Volunteer Patti Messenger
Volunteer Patti Messenger, who retired two years ago after a career as a high school English teacher in Bedford, came to LexRAP through her involvement in LexShelter, a looser coalition of volunteers formed to support the more than two dozen families who were locally housed by the state in late 2023. With her professional experience, Patti was a perfect fit to work with refugees at the Lexington shelter in the English Language Learner (ELL) program that had been started by veteran ELL teacher and LexRAP volunteer Connie Gregg.
It wasn’t long before clients began bringing housing applications to class looking for help understanding them and filling them out. With housing a critical need that is very difficult to meet based on real-estate prices in the area, Patti and other volunteers wanted to support them.
“In January, I started calling realtors,” she recalls. “For every 20 calls I made, one person would call me back.” Then she heard from a realtor in Lowell. Not only was he familiar with HomeBASE, the state program that subsidizes rent for unhoused families, he had four units available immediately.
Patti accompanied two families she was working with on the tour; each found a place that worked for them. She then helped them with their rental applications and supporting documents like paystubs, credit scores, and photo IDs. After a long approval process for HomeBASE, the two families settled in during March.
With strong bonds in place, Patti eagerly agreed to become the lead for one family and continued supporting the other. As a lead, she is a primary contact between the family and the community.
“Working with other LexRAP volunteers, I’ve learned more than I ever imagined about securing childcare vouchers and Head Start placements, navigating re-enrollment for DTA benefits and MassHealth, finding doctors, locating food pantries, and getting on waiting lists for English classes. I’ve been to Household Goods with my families so they could get the furnishings they needed to create a home. Soon, I expect to start helping with job searches. I feel honored to have been entrusted with everything these families have been willing to share with me—their questions, their stories, their joys, their concerns,” she shares.
When asked why she joined LexRAP and has gotten so involved Patti replied, “The anti-immigrant sentiment we’re currently seeing is deeply upsetting to me. LexRAP is all about welcoming people seeking refuge here. I feel very lucky to have more or less stumbled into this and grateful for how things have evolved into deeper participation. Working with such amazing, dedicated, resourceful volunteers has kept me sane and given me hope.”