DECATUR - It was about 7 a.m., and several men already were waiting for Oasis Day Center to open.

Delores Williams, a member of the part-time staff, has a plate of doughnuts ready and serves coffee to those who have been on the streets all night.

"A lot of people, when they first come in, like taking a shower and doing their laundry," she said.

Mike Young, 53, walked into Oasis and sat down to have his cup of coffee.

He was concerned, as were many others, after attending a town hall meeting Monday at Central Christian Church about Oasis closing its doors.

"There is a lot of poor people like myself. If Oasis closes, more people will be out on the streets and more stressed out," said Young, who is at Oasis daily. "This place is really a necessity."

Day center

The fate of the day center for the homeless is up in the air unless it can come up with $160,000 to operate, after its budget was slashed by the Illinois Department of Health and Office of Mental Health.

Oasis had been receiving $230,000 from the state, and now the state is allotting only $75,000 to the day center in 2009.

United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois contributed $51,000 to Oasis in 2008 and earmarked $55,845 to the facility for next year.

It won't be enough.

Oasis' operating budget is $350,000 to remain open seven days a week, 365 days a year. The majority of the money pays salaries for four full-time and four part-time staff members, utilities and other daily supplies, said Director Nancy Rude.

"If we have to reduce staff, then we would have to look at filling those slots with volunteers," she said. "The problem with that is the intensive training they would have to go through. It does take the right person to work here because of the difficult situations that our clients are in."

She added, "You have to understand what is going on with people and approach it with an open mind."

Rude said that when people stay at overnight homeless shelters, they have to be out by 7 a.m. and have no place to go during the day. There is an exception for women who can remain at the shelters in the daytime, but most of the time, they are full and have limited space, she said.

Mary Garrison, assistant professor of social work at Millikin University, and her students gave a presentation about Oasis during a town hall meeting on Monday.

Oasis opened in April 1999 and is managed by Heritage Health Behavioral Center.

The students pointed out that from July 2007 through February 2008, about 844 people between the ages of 18 and 59 frequented Oasis; 639 males, 205 females.

The drop-in facility provides an array of services for individuals to take showers, wash clothes, access a telephone, look at job postings and have an occasional snack.

Carolyn Wagner, nurse practitioner with the Community Health Improvement Center, provides medical information and does exams every Tuesday.

"This is our third year in collaboration with Heritage and Oasis. We meet with patients who may not be aware of our services because of transportation barriers and other trust issues," Wagner said. "But this place is so invaluable because I am able to connect with my patients and get them the care they need."

Many of the homeless suffer from extreme poverty, mental illness or substance abuse, according to the Millikin students' presentation.

They showed that if Oasis closes, those affected the most will be emergency services, the police department, fire department, restaurants, libraries, churches, parks and businesses because of the growing number of homeless.

Some ideas were mentioned to keep Oasis open, such as getting more stakeholders in the community involved financially with corporate support and businesses pledging $2,000 to $5,000 annually, exploring other foundation grants or doing a community "blitz" campaign.

Supporters were urged to contact the Illinois Department of Health Services and continue support for Oasis.

"Before Oasis, the old fountain in the park downtown was the favorite bathing spot, said Robert Bushey, pastor at Central Christian Church. "I remember when there was a dream of a safe haven for people to go, and then something great happened, and the Oasis Day Center was born."

Several checks were presented to Oasis during the town meeting Tuesday night, but supporters say more is necessary.

"For this community not to realize the need of Oasis is a gross injustice," said Kathleen Taylor, who provides lunches for nearly 400 people a day at the Good Samaritan Inn.

The Faces at Oasis

Young, who spends time at Oasis, also gets meals at the Good Samaritan Inn.

He struggles despite getting a Supplemental Security Income check of $800 a month from Social Security, which he uses to pay rent at a rooming house Heritage helped him find.

He likes to go to Oasis to meet up with individuals who come by looking for someone to do odd jobs for a little extra money. Young added that he also likes playing cards and watching television at the day center.

Patrick "Cowboy" Cyrus, 51, served in the Army from 1975 to 1978. He said he used to work as a roofer and welder until he got sick and was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is now in remission.

Rude and her staff knocked on the window of his van behind Oasis, where he had been sleeping, and got him into Section 8 housing, but he still has no job or income.

"I come to the Oasis to do my laundry, and I like hanging out and socializing," said Cyrus. "If they close this place, I will probably go nuts."

Ron Ryan, 43, has been coming to Oasis since he was released from prison in 2001. He said it is hard for him to work after being hit by a car in 2006, leaving him somewhat disabled.

"The staff is helpful at Oasis; they listen and help you the best that they can," he said.

Joe Owens, 57, saw his better days as the owner of Joe's Country Music years ago. He wasn't able to keep his equipment and ended up destitute.

Now, Owens works for a paint company five days week and lives in a trailer on East William Street.

"This place (Oasis) has helped me out a lot, and you meet a lot of good people here," he said.

Regardless of their circumstances, hundreds of men and women have become dependent on Oasis.

They live the words of Mother Teresa, which were shown on a projection screen Monday during the Millikin students' presentation: "Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty."

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.