First Light - Birmingham, Alabama

Address: 2230 4th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203.
Phone: 2053234277.
Website: firstlightshelter.org.
Specialties: Homeless shelter.
Other points of interest: Wheelchair accessible entrance, Wheelchair accessible parking lot, On-site parking.
Opinions: This company has 79 reviews on Google My Business.
Average opinion: 3.5/5.

Location of First Light

2053234277

First Light is a homeless shelter located in Birmingham, Alabama. The shelter's address is 2230 4th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 352

Reviews of First Light

Holly

5/5

I just want to thank first Light for all their help. They have been amazing so helpful kind and giving organization. Those that leave bad reviews is because they messed up themselves .Follow the rules and put in the work and save. Remember this is not a home but a shelter to get you into your own place. I love my apartment that I was able to save and get. Thank you Patricia, Geneva April, Sherry, Bianca, Becky, volunteers and other staff. Love you ladies can't thank you enough for letting me be a guest and taking good care of me.

LaShasta Williams

1/5

I left Thursday, it honestly wasn’t that bad, majority of the staff was pretty nice except a lady named Ms. Peggy who works at night. Apparently if you’ve been there for 3 months you can make up a lie on somebody and it instantly gets believed. That’s what happened to me and I left on my own… I had brain surgery about a month ago and have family problems so I was upset that night but never said anything negative to anyone nor did I threaten anyone. I love bible study here and some women I met here. If you do come here, it’s best to be kind to everyone but stay to yourself some people are miserable and messy by nature it doesn’t matter what age they are. I believe in God and karma so to the lady who did lie what goes around comes around! To Ms Peggy aka “Stay in your lane” when god turns the tables on you just remember how rude you are here to some women here. You might be in their shoes one day…… ***I appreciate all the kind women I met here, the volunteers, and the bible study classes. On a positive note I did get closer to god, I already had employment and I met a couple nice people here.

B.A.C.

1/5

First of all, let’s start with the rules. Curfew is 5p.m. Keep in mind that the vast majority of people staying here are well over 21. No phones, laptops, etc. They say it’s to protect the privacy of the others staying there and yet on several occasions certain staff members were taking pictures and video chatting with residents in the background. Another incident I found to be incredibly disturbing, a disabled woman in a wheelchair was put out. For argument sake, I will say this woman truly was hard to deal with. On several occasions I had to put her in her place. After doing so I can assure you she approached me with a different attitude. On to the point. She had fallen out of her wheelchair, instead of rushing to her aid, they laughed and enjoyed it first. I wasn’t there when this happened, a certain employee told me the story later on, with laughter about the entire incident. Then this woman, disabled in a wheelchair, sat in the HOT sun outside ALL DAY, they didn’t even have enough HEART to find her somewhere else to go. Too many times I myself had to deal with nastiness with a smile from the staff here. Too many times I watched their sheer joy at putting someone back on the street. The rules here are entirely too strict for grown, moral human beings. It is run like a prison. In my honest opinion it’s really not helping anyone, in my time there several that left, eventually wound up right back in there. Most of the staff are seemingly only there for a paycheck, a laugh, and to massage their own inflated EGO. It’s very interesting the number of those that were once on the street and understanding what it is like, yet still lack the compassion required to actually HELP those still struggling with homelessness. The number of times I have experienced laughter, gossip, and general happiness at my situation is unreal! Homelessness is NOT FUNNY!!! I wouldn’t WISH this on ANYONE. How can you be in a job like this with that kind of mentality? How can you work with the wounded with such cruelty? In your heart? In your mind? Shouldn’t we hold these places and the people working there to a much higher standard? Perhaps the much higher ups need to take a much CLOSER look at those employed in these places. We need people who actually have their HEART in it. Otherwise it’s just the blind leading the blind. Going through the motions. Nothing changing. Every day just more of the same. Routine. A never ending revolving door of faces from the street. That’s not good. The problem only continues to remain, grow. You’re supposed to be helping not giving the people who come to you in THEIR time of need even more WOUNDS than when they came to you! We can ALL do and BE better. It starts with telling the full, complete, ugly TRUTH about your experience in these places! I’ve had enough of cruelty at the hands of those “HELPING”.

Deborah White

3/5

Zeta Phi Beta Inc community service project. We did our service and help serve breakfast to those less fortunate than use.

L Speights

5/5

Our group at All Nation Church serve lunch to the ladies. We are blessed by the warm welcome and how thankful they are.

Cassandra Norris

2/5

Marquita talked to me like I was a kid and bad attitude. She even touched my spiritual crystal ? and that was wrong they are not to be touched by anyone but myself. Dorm is cold at night and It feels like a prison you can't use cell phones on inside of building and curfew is 5 pm.

Charlotte Moore

5/5

I became homeless, from a nice family and I couldn't cope with it. I kept having nervous brake downs giving up on my life. The people at first light gave me chance after chance during the most critical times in my life. I'm finally ok and emotionally stable. They never gave up on me when I had given up on myself. God bless them! They saved me!!!

Erin Black

1/5

I went to the hospital when I first got here and was gone for a few days. I came back to get my belongings to transfer to some where else and they wouldn't give me my clothes. Some were donated but even the clothes that I came here in they kept from me. When I asked about it all they did was go look where my bed was. They didn't try to find them they didn't try to get me anything different. They seriously kept the clothes I came here in. No wonder why they have a bunch of clothes to give women they keep everybody's stuff. Be careful going here ladies if you already have nothing like me you're going to leave with even less. Good luck to everyone.