It could be because of a hurricane. It could be due to the end of a relationship. But if, for some reason, you find yourself without shelter, where do you turn?

For Donald Dean, 53, a disabled Vietnam veteran who lost his home to Hurricane Gustav, it was the Iberia Homeless Shelter.

The homeless shelter is one of 10 non-profit agencies in the Teche Area that rely heavily, if not entirely, on donations. Each year before Christmas The Daily Iberian encourages readers to consider donating to one or more organizations through its Help the Helpers program, an extension of the newspaper’s Make A Difference and Adopt-a-Family programs.

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Dean said he was living in a mobile home in Cade when Gustav hit and he lost everything. He slept in his truck for a while, but it was cold. Then the shelter took him in.

“I didn’t know which way to turn in life,” he said. “It’s a wonderful place to get back on  your feet.” He is also trying to get compensation from FEMA.

Tony McDonald, 42, has had a full-time job offshore for three and a half years. He said he has bachelor’s degree in public relations but has been working in the oilfield for longer than he has been working offshore.

He was living in St. Martinville with a girlfriend. But when that relationship recently ended, McDonald said he didn’t have anywhere to go. For him, the shelter is a temporary place, until he can get his own apartment.

“For the individuals coming here, the opportunities are vast,” said McDonald, a Kansas native. “You really can’t beat what (Wilson’s) offering you. ... He has his rules. It’s a clean establishment.”

When McDonald returns from his next trip offshore, he plans to have worked out getting an apartment.

“This is good, but a man needs his own castle,” McDonald said.

Ernest Wilson, the shelter director, said they have helped 58 men this year. The shelter offers two programs — a transitional program, in which the shelter offers a place for six to 24 months, and an emergency shelter program, in which the shelter provides a place for one to 14 days. That also serves as a feeder program for the transitional housing program.

They help the men design a plan for the future and help them with budgeting, and, with the help of Keys to Sobriety, chemical addictions some might have.

“Our immediate focus is eliminating barriers to employment,” said Wilson.

The next step, he said, is to make sure a person remains stable in his job, and then to find them permanent housing in a safe environment.

He defines success as when a person has been on the job for a year with no problems and has found permanent housing in a safe environment.

“The whole objective is to get them off public assistance,” he said.

Soon, there will be a changing of the guard at the shelter, with Steve Etienne taking over the job of director.

Wilson said the shelter needs things like dishwasher detergent, Purex, floorwax and office supplies.

“They give you clothes, food, a place to put your head,” Dean said. “If not for them, I would be in the cold right now.”

If you’d like to help the Iberia Homeless Shelter, you can mail a donation to Help the Helpers at The Daily Iberian, P.O. Box 9290, New Iberia, LA 70562 or drop it by the newspaper.