
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 21, 1995                   TAG: 9511210079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DAY SHELTER'S FEMALE MANAGER FEELS NEED FOR HER 2ND `HOME'

When Lottie Diomedi first walked into Roanoke Area Ministries' day shelter, "It was like coming home," she said. "I felt like this is where I needed to be."

Diomedi is one of RAM's two shelter managers, and the only female shelter manager in the state, said RAM's executive director, Wendy Moore.

Most agencies are reluctant to hire women for these jobs, Diomedi explained, because they think physical strength is required. But RAM's previous executive director, Julie Hollingsworth, had no such qualms when she hired Diomedi in April, and Moore, who took over in August, has been just as supportive, she said.

Diomedi, 43, is no physical powerhouse, but she doesn't have to be. She knows most of the shelter's regulars by name, and whenever a threatening situation has come up, they have been there to help out.

"They are wonderful to me," she said. "I look at these people as family."

Besides maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the shelter, Diomedi also helps guests with getting ID cards, day jobs, and distributes their mail to them.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of women and children who come in to the shelter, Moore said.

Diomedi said these women often appreciate having another woman to talk to about their problems.

Where Diomedi gets the emotional energy to deal with other people's difficulties is anyone's guess. Her youngest son, Tim, 23, has medical problems that require 24-hour attention, a situation that would be taxing enough by itself. But she and Tim draw strength from each other.

"He's my buddy. He's my son, but he's also my best friend." Like his mother, Tim also is very interested in the issue of homelessness.

Diomedi is touched by the shelter guests' attitude toward Tim when she's brought him by to visit. Because of his medical problems, his physical appearance often causes strangers to stare at him and avoid him in public.

But "the guys," as Diomedi calls them, "are so wonderful to him." They treat him as though his problems were "no big deal." They understand what it's like to be different, she said.

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by CNB