Constance Collins was 13 years old the first time she saw a homeless
woman. She still remembers how the woman shivered against the cold in a
Manhattan winter as she picked through garbage. Now 49, Collins is
putting the knowledge -- and capital -- she earned in the real estate
business to work and providing homeless women with long-term shelter.

Lotus House,
which opened in 2006, offers more than a bed for a few nights. Here
women find "wrap-around" services that include counseling, career
services, help applying for government programs, nutrition and cooking
classes, daily meditation, and yoga. An oasis in the middle of Overtown,
one of the poorest neighborhoods in Miami, the shelter sits on a
naturally landscaped lot where guests tend to the garden and the pet
birds. When a woman is ready to move on, she receives support in
locating a permanent home, as well as a house-warming gift of furniture
and two weeks of groceries.
How do women find their way to Lotus House?

The
same way they find themselves on the street. We have women who have
physical disabilities, mental health issues, substance issues, economic
troubles, women right out of prison, and young women who've aged out of
foster care. Some just show up at a bus stop. The bus drivers know us
now, so if they find a woman asking for a place to go, they will bring
her here.

How many women can Lotus House serve?

Right
now we can house 50 women, for stays of up to a year. That includes as
many as 15 pregnant women and mothers with babies under one year old.
We don't keep a waiting list because we want to be able to respond if
there is a crisis in the moment. If we had another building, we could
fill it with 50 more women in a week. But we can't do that right away
because what we do costs a lot of money.

Lotus House is run primarily with private funding, including your own money. But you coordinate with government services as well ...

Our
resources coordinators keep track of what services our guests are
eligible for. Often, the women with the most need are the ones who get
the least services, because it's so hard to fill out all the forms and
keep track of appointments. We help with that, so that women receive
the services they need.

Why, along with more traditional services, does Lotus House offer programs such as meditation and yoga?

It's
not enough just to give a person a place to sleep. Women come to us in
crisis, so for the first 30 days, we encourage them just to learn to
breathe again. We want each guest to learn who she is when she is not
in crisis. After those 30 days, then she'll start working formally with
our career counselor on getting ready to find a job.

You
have a rule that a guest can't spend more than $100 a month, even if
she has a job or receives money from a government program. Why?

Part
of what we teach is financial well-being. We want women to learn how to
save the money they will need to live on their own. Here we provide
room and board, toiletries, everything they need, so we expect them to
deposit any money they earn in their savings accounts.

What models did you look to in founding Lotus House?

To
tell the truth, I never set foot in a homeless shelter before we opened
Lotus House. I have since then, but when I started, I really just asked
myself what any woman would need -- what any of us would want.

For
Buddhists, the lotus symbolizes divine birth. According to one Buddhist
text, it represents a spotless spirit born of muddy waters. Is Lotus
House inspired by Buddhism, the way so much work on behalf of the
homeless is inspired by Christian and Jewish faiths?

We embrace all faiths. But we do say that we honor the divine light in every woman.

Wait a minute, that sounds familiar. What do instructors say at the end of every yoga class?

[Smiles.] Namaste: May the light in me honor and respect the light in you.

Namaste.