Charles W. Earlsey, 78, also known as C.W., sits in his home on Carter Street before going to work at the House of Mercy homeless shelter on the morning of Sept. 30, 2021. C.W. has been working at the shelter for around 35 years and has earned the title of facilities manager. C.W. usually wakes up around 5:30 a.m., goes to the House of Mercy around 9 a.m., and is back home in bed around 10 p.m.
C.W. directs residents at the House of Mercy on street cleanup and attempts to diffuse a possible fight. C.W. acts as a mediator for any problems that arise between members at the shelter.
C.W. poses for a portrait in his home on Sept., 30, 2021. On New Years Eve, 2003, C.W. was shot twice, once in the neck and once in the stomach, while counting money in his office on Hudson Avenue, where the House of Mercy used to be located. "Someone came in and said 'Give me your money!' and the last thing I remember saying was 'What money?' after that the lights went out."
Jacqueline Brooken, or Jackie, C.W.'s primary care giver, helps dress him in his home before heading to the House of Mercy on Oct. 28, 2021. C.W. and Jackie have known each other for over 30 years. "C.W. is like a father figure to me. Because when I came to America I was just 21 years old," says Brooken. "...The reason why I started taking care of C.W. is because of what he did for me, all my life been taking care of me and my kids, helping me and helping my children."
Sister Grace Miller, founder and executive director of the House of Mercy, and C.W. are shown together in a photograph in Sister Grace's office. Sister Grace helped to baptise Earlsey when he first came to work at the shelter. “She’s my record keeper, godmother, and my boss," says Earlsey.
Sister Grace comforts C.W. at a funeral for their close friend Beatrice Leonard, or Miss Bea, on Oct. 14, 2021. Miss Bea began volunteering at the House of Mercy homeless shelter in 1992 and became the shelter's very first choir director. She made sure to never miss any choir meetings or Sunday masses. Earlsey has attended numerous funerals in the past few months for family and friends who have passed.
A memorial sign hangs on C.W.'s bedroom wall honoring his late son Michael Earlsey. Michael passed away in 2018 after he was shot six times in the chest on York Street in Rochester, N.Y. "I was in bed, the phone rang around one o' clock in the morning," says C.W. "It, like, took the wind out of me, that's my baby boy. Everything stopped...I had a resentment inside of me, a total anger."
Sister Grace, C.W., Jackie, and others from the House of Mercy vote in the local election at the David F. Gantt Center after getting their Covid booster shots on Oct. 29, 2021 in downtown Rochester, N.Y. "Some of these people want you to vote for them, they tell you that they will help but when they get to their seat...they forget about what they promised," said Jackie. "America is the mother of all country and I don't believe that supposed to have so many poor people dwelling out there in the streets of america."
C.W., residents, and staff of the House of Mercy rally at the Cadillac Hotel on Chestnut Street. Sister Grace, C.W., and others at the House of Mercy have been fighting to get the now vacant building turned into housing units for the poor and disenfranchised. The rally was held after a string of cancelled meetings between the owner of the hotel and the House of Mercy.
C.W. watches as volunteers and residents of the House of Mercy clean up the common area in preparation for a funeral on Sept. 21, 2021. The House of Mercy hosts many funerals for those who cannot afford them. "Our people were dying and they were dying in large numbers," said Sister Grace. "In three months we had 25 funerals. That's how bad it was. So we got into the burial ministry."
C.W. waits in the driveway of his home for his milrinone bag to be changed on Sept. 17, 2021. C.W.'s milrinone bag helps his heart failure and it needs to be changed every 24-30 hours. The bag leads a tube up to his arm where an IV is in place.
C.W. has physical therapy on the morning of Sept. 15, 2021. The physical therapist comes twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to try and strengthen C.W.'s leg and arm muscles so he is able to move around more freely.
Charles W. Earlsey, also known as C.W., has worked at the House of Mercy homeless shelter in Rochester, N.Y., for 35 years. “Between my gambling and just hanging out on the block doing nothing, the money ran low,” reflects C.W., who was struggling to pay for alcohol for his nightclub and speakeasy that he owned on Joseph Avenue at the time. “So I went to Sister Grace and asked her to buy me some liquor.”
Sister Grace, who is the founder and executive director of the House of Mercy, did not buy any alcohol but she offered to pay for his rent. A few days later, C.W. decided to close up his bar and go to work at the House of Mercy. “I just didn’t feel good about it...Taking from a Church.” C.W., now being 78 years old, still works at the House of Mercy 7 days a week. Despite major health issues and complications, he is still dedicated to the House of Mercy and being a voice for the homeless and disenfranchised.
