Bunk House Inn providing for the area’s most in need

As a sergeant with the Houma Police Department, Bobby O’Bryan has sworn to protect the citizens of Terrebonne Parish. Today, he and his wife have taken a vow to house and feed the needy in the parish.

O’Bryan said he got the inspiration to start an emergency homeless shelter in early 1997. That year Terrebonne Parish had an influx of homeless citizens move into the area.

“There was no where for the people to go. We did not have an emergency shelter in the parish. The people were sleeping anywhere they could find shelter,” he said.

Houma Police began including “morning wake-up calls” as part of their daily patrol to clear the homeless out of the downtown area before business owners arrived at work.

“One day, I was transporting one of the homeless to jail because he was sleeping underneath one of the lawyer’s offices downtown, and I asked him what were his basic needs to look for every day,” he said. The man replied, “We try to find food, shelter and personal hygiene items.”

That answer would eventually become the impetus for Houma’s homeless center.

O’Bryan decided to start an emergency shelter catered to housing men, women and small families. “In the beginning, we spoke with several churches and local emergency agencies and for the first time everything seemed to come together,” he said.

In the meantime, O’Bryan said he repeatedly prayed about the situation.

On Oct. 15, 1997, the police officer said the Lord gave His answer. With the help of local ladies’ auxiliaries, O’Bryan found a facility that would become the Bunk House Inn.

“Our aim was to help those who wanted to be help,” he said.

O’Bryan said just like any other organization, there were kinks to be worked out. “We expected to give the people shelter, and we should have expected to give them food as well,” he said.

It would take over a year to incorporate food into the Bunk House’s offering. In 1999, Bunk House volunteers served the first meals at the shelter two days out of the week. As word of mouth spread across the community that meals were available, O’Bryan said the service expanded to one meal daily, from 5 to 6 p.m., including Saturdays and Sundays.

The Houma policeman said the dinner is not just for the homeless, but anyone who is in need of a hot, home-cooked meal.

Over the years, O’Bryan said the community has answered the call for more help in feeding those in need.

About seven years ago, he said, Angela Adams, owner of Blooming Orchid Florist, came to him asking what she could do to help.

“Soon after, she began fixing dinner for the people on Thanksgiving, New Years and Easter,” he said. Each year since, Adams and her staff buy and cook enough food to feed about 100 people.

The Salvation Army and other non-profit emergency agencies fund the Monday, Wednesday and Friday meals. Formerly, Zoë Oswald prepared the Tuesday meal, but in recent weeks Blooming Orchid Florist has taken the reigns.

Holy Rosary Church prepares the Thursday meal, St. Bernadette Church does the Saturday meal and the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center handles the Sunday meal.

“I am blessed that all of the funds to feed the people at the shelter haven’t come out of my pocket. There are so many generous folks in the community,” O’Bryan said. “The most I have had to do is pray.”

Once the basic needs of those sheltered at the Bunkhouse are met all they need to do is get a job, he explained.

Getting the emergency shelter occupants into the Terrebonne Parish workforce is easy because O’Bryan said he has a strong work relationship with the businesses in the community.

“If you talk to any of the homeless people, they will tell you that Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes are the place to come if you want a job,” he said. “Even if it’s offshore.”

According to O’Bryan, people come from all over the U.S. looking for jobs in the Tri-parish area. “Often, they spend their last dime trying to get here. All they need is for someone to help them get by until they get a job,” he said.

By helping those in need find viable employment and transition into a stable living environment, O’Bryan said he encounters fewer homeless people during the course of his day job. “These are people who, for the most part, are just down on their luck. By lending them a hand up, I’m less likely to see them on the wrong side of the law,” he said. “My goal is to see them back on their feet living productive lives supporting themselves and their families.”