SEN HEIDI HEITKAMP INTRODUCES BILL TO HELP HOUSE WOMEN & CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATIONS (HEALS ACT)

SENATOR HEIDI HEITKAMP INTRODUCES BILL TO HELP HOUSE WOMEN & CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATIONS:

NOT HAVING THE RESOURCES TO LEAVE IS WHY MOST WOMEN REMAIN IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

THE OTHER REASON IS PSYCHOLOGICAL BECAUSE CONSTANT ABUSE CAUSES WOMEN TO QUESTION THEIR SELF-WORTH.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AFFECTS WOMEN PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS WHEN A MAN CONTROLS A WOMAN'S MIND WITH HIS FISTS.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ABUSERS ARE VERY CUNNING AND OFTEN ACCUSE THEIR VICTIMS OF "PROVOKING THEM".

THESE NARCISSITIC MEN APPEAR TO BE "NICE" IN PUBLIC WHEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THEY ARE MONSTERS.

THE CYCLE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN MUST BE STOPPED.

GREAT JOB SENATOR HEITKAMP........THANK YOU.


Sources: NTXE, WDAZ


******* Sen. Heitkamp introduces bill to help shelter victims of domestic violence

After an incident of domestic violence, many victims don't have a place to go.

But a safe place may soon be closer to home.

WDAZ's Scott Cook tells us how badly it is needed in our area.

"It's extraordinarily difficult for a woman in an abusive relationship to leave. In fact, national statistics tell us it takes seven times. And you may ask why -- why is because frequently there are no other options, there’s no place to go, there’s no housing," says Senator Heidi Heitkamp.

No housing, no place to go. That's an issue many victims face after an act of domestic violence. But Senator heidi Heitkamp has introduced a bill to fix the crunch. The Help End Abusive Living Situations Act or HEALS -- would provide more funding for 'transitional housing,' an important step between shelters and permanent housing that includes counseling, childcare, career and financial training.

"Whether people are aware of it or not, we have a huge need for housing in this community," says Kristi Anderson, CVIC Counselor.

According to Kristi Anderson with the CVIC here in Grand forks, its a problem more common than most would think.

Thirty-three families are in danger of allowing the cycle to continue, as they wait for housing.

"The clients we see coming in -- usually the biggest barrier is where are they going to stay that night. If they can't go home because of the abuse in the family, they would need to either utilize a hotel, which sometimes they don't have the funds for, so they would need to utilize shelter, which isn't always the best option especially for families with kids," says Anderson.

The HEALS Act would increase funding and create more flexibility for transitional housing programs that help victims get back on their feet. And the added funding would help with more than just the housing waitlist.

"It's not just housing, it's the whole wrap-around services that are so critically important to these families recover from a life of violence," says Heitkamp.

Some legislature that could help some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, fifty-one percent of victims who need emergency housing do not receive it.

NEW YEAR'S EVE CHALLENGE TO HELP BATTERED WOMEN & CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS

NEW YEAR'S EVE CHALLENGE TO HELP BATTERED WOMEN & CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS:

PLEASE GO OUT TODAY AND PURCHASE TOYS, CLOTHES & TOLIETRIES FOR HURTING WOMEN & VICTIMIZED CHILDREN LIVING IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS' IS THE SEASON TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE AND NEED A HAND TO BOUNCE BACK.


Sources: Naples News


****** Shelter's Volunteer Elves Bring Christmas Joy To Moms, Kids Who Fled Violence


Editor's note: To protect shelter residents and their children, their names have been changed in this story.

In Berta’s world, women are supposed to stay quiet about domestic violence and abuse.

The day she decided to call the police on her husband, the help came with a price. Her family criticized and rejected her.

Her ex-husband’s family threatened her, she said. She left her home with her daughter and ended up at the Shelter for Abused Women & Children in Collier County.

Because she spoke up, Berta and her 6-year-old can have the stable, peaceful life they wanted.

“It was difficult to make that choice, leave everything behind and have to start a new life,” Berta said in Spanish. “But it was for the best.”

When she and her daughter first arrived, they spent some time in the emergency shelter before being admitted to the organization’s Transitional Living Program and moving into a cottage near the shelter campus, where they have been living for about three months.

With the support she received from the staff, Berta enrolled in English-language courses, found a part-time job and bought a car.

The shelter also is giving her daughter the kind of Christmas she never had at home.

“We’d celebrate Christmas, but it was always tarnished by sadness,” Berta said.

Every family staying in transitional living cottages gets a decorated Christmas tree. Kids and parents are asked to make wish lists for Christmas gifts.

Shelter volunteers work year-round on their Christmas drive. They partner with local businesses and individuals to sponsor “Giving Trees” and give Christmas presents to families.

Volunteers gather hundreds of donated gifts and set up shop in a room inside the shelter that could rival Santa’s workshop.

The gifts aren’t just for families staying in the emergency shelter. Families in transitional housing and those who participate in the shelter outreach programs at the main campus and the Immokalee outreach office also receive gifts.

On Christmas morning, hundreds of shelter participants and their children will have a big breakfast, meet Santa and open gifts.
“A lot of families usually come here without a planned exit,” said Tami Welford, the shelter’s development and volunteer manager. “We do everything we can to make sure they have a home away from home, security and a merry Christmas.”

Lois Castronova and Maxine Robbins have volunteered in the shelter’s holiday operations for the past 11 years and have been in charge the past three years.

They call themselves the “Head Elves.”

The two delight in finding the perfect gifts for kids and their moms.

“A lot of women come here with nothing,” Robbins said. “They’ll ask for things they need, but we like to give them something they want. Something to make them feel special — perfume, a purse, some makeup.”

“It may be the only time they can express something they want instead of putting their kids’ needs first,” Castronova said.
Kids will ask for toys ranging from basketballs to bicycles.
When they arrive at the shelter, many of the moms ask for self-improvement books.

“They’re here to heal,” Castronova said. “They get here and they’re safe, and they realize they can be themselves again.”
Maria kept giving her abusive relationship a chance because she wanted a family.

“I also felt fear of never finding true love,” Maria said. “Fear of getting old and being alone.”

A mother to three children, she knew she had to leave when one of her daughters called 911 after seeing her father lay his hands on Maria. Her kids were taken from her that day and sent to live with other relatives, she said.

“It felt like my world crumbled that day,” Maria said.

She got her kids back after about three months, she said, and now the four of them live in another one of the transitional housing cottages.

Maria works full-time and attends therapy sessions at the shelter. The sessions help her "think about not making the same mistakes,” she said.

Maria and Berta said they felt lost while experiencing the abuse, but now they feel grounded in having an army of people supporting and encouraging them to stand on their own two feet and make better lives for themselves and their children.

“It took a great deal of courage for them to leave those situations,” said Carol Roldan, the women’s transitional living program advocate. “They’re motivated, courageous and faithful. They cut the thread of their fear and are stronger for it.”

Their faith, gratitude and the friendships they’ve formed at the shelter have helped them get through tough times.

They encourage anyone in an abusive relationship to ask for help.

“One of my biggest lessons was that just because it’s hard, it’s not impossible,” Maria said. “Keep faith in God, or whoever you put your faith in. It might look rainy now, but the sun will come out.”

If you are in an abusive relationship and need help, call 911 or the Shelter for Abused Women and Children’s 24-hour crisis line at 239-775-1101.

SOPHIE FORD FIRED FROM JOB AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER DIRECTOR IN MARYLAND

SOPHIE FORD FIRED FROM JOB AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER DIRECTOR IN MARYLAND:

THE SHELTER RECEIVED $1 MIL IN FUNDS YET WAS FULL OF MOLD, MICE AND HAD NO HEAT.

SHE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

SHE JUST WANTED A PAYCHECK.


Sources: Washington Post, Youtube


******* Pr. George’s shelter under new leadership after complaints of pests, mold, rotting food


The director of a women’s shelter in Prince George’s County was asked to resign this week after clients staying at the domestic violence safe house complained about rotten food, pests and mold inside the home.

The women and children staying at the Family Crisis Center Inc. of Prince George’s County were moved to other accommodations this weekend after the board of directors for the independent nonprofit group asked executive director Sophie Ford to resign Thursday.

Ford was accused by residents of neglecting their complaints about poor conditions at the home, which can house up to 55 people and is the only emergency temporary shelter for domestic violence survivors in the county.

“I know we owe the community an apology and we’ve learned some hard lessons,” said Andrea Morris, who sits on the nonprofit board and was appointed interim director of the center. She will oversee repairs during the next week.

“We regret the situation tremendously and the board realized we need to have more direct ongoing oversight of the organization,” she said.

Morris said the board had misplaced its trust in Ford, who initially denied the allegations from residents, but after both the county and state government sent officials to inspect the safe house, the board asked the executive director to step down.

The center was founded in 1981 and receives all its funding from public sources, including an annual contract with Prince George’s County, which leads the state in domestic violence-related slayings.

This is not the first time the shelter has run into problems. In 2015, the county’s Office of Ethics and Accountability received a tip that later proved credible about a lack of “quality controls” at the shelter and recommended greater oversight and a “facility repairs plan” for the facility.

The Prince George’s Department of Family Services, which contracts with the shelter, is helping the nonprofit group pay to move the more than 40 women and their children to safe locations during the holiday season. They expect to move everyone back into the home by Jan. 1 before school begins and construction work is done.

MARYLAND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER UNFIT FOR BATTERED VICTIMS (PRINCE GEORGES' COUNTY)

MARYLAND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER UNFIT FOR BATTERED VICTIMS:

MOLD, MICE & NO HEAT YET THE SHELTER RECEIVES $1 MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDS EACH YEAR.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS BEING RE-VICTIMIZED IN RAGGEDY SHELTERS.


Sources: Washington Post, NBC, Youtube


***** Shelter for abused women under investigation after reports of mold, spoiled food


Prince George's County housing inspectors and family services officials are investigating conditions inside a county-funded safe house for domestic-violence survivors after residents reported living in mold- and pest-infested rooms, eating spoiled food and enduring cold nights without heat.

The county pays the private nonprofit Family Crisis Center Inc. of Prince George's County $385,000 a year to operate the 55-bed shelter, which is the only facility in the county that provides temporary housing for abused women and their children.

The Family Crisis Center, which also offers counseling and outreach services to domestic-violence victims, receives hundreds of thousands more dollars each year in state and local grants.

Residents of the shelter — whose location is kept private for security reasons — approached reporters during the weekend to say that their concerns had been ignored by the organization's executive director, Sophie Ford. The residents presented videos and photos of mold in bathrooms, broken windows and rust.

One young mother, who declined to give her full name out of fear for her safety, said that shelter staff members were friendly, but that there was never enough money for groceries.

"The food was like slop," said the woman, who asked to be identified by her first name, Jay. "It got so bad that my children wouldn't eat it, and I wouldn't let them. I went to the store nearby to buy whatever I could find."

Ford did not respond to requests for comment. But in a statement posted on the crisis center's Facebook page, the organization said it is investigating the complaints and making repairs to the century-old building. The statement denied that the safe house lacked heat or that any of its 46 residents consumed rotten food.

"It is our highest priority to protect our population," the statement said. "Therefore we take any and all complaints very serious. . . . These allegations strike at the core of our mission."

Elana Belon-Butler, director of the county's Department of Family Services, visited the crisis center facility on Monday and saw leaking shower heads, filthy air vents and other problems.

"I was not aware of the extent, severity and complexity of the issues," said Belon-Butler, adding that she is awaiting a complete report from inspectors. "I saw a number of things I am concerned about."

The county Department of Family Services conducts quarterly site inspections of shelters it contracts with, notifying the organizations ahead of arrival. Officials are reviewing past reports, including the one from the most recent Nov. 29 site visit. The shelter has been funded by the county since 1993.

"Specifically, what we are going to wait to see is whether or not there has been any violation of the grant agreement," Belon-
Butler said. "We are taking this very seriously."

Prince George's leads the state in domestic-violence-related homicides. The safe house is part of a network of services — including a year-old Family Justice Center focused on helping abuse victims — aimed at combating the violence.

The Family Crisis Center was paid $108,000 by the county this fall to expand services to southern Prince George's. Since 2012, the organization has won at least $630,000 in county grants. The shelter also received $1.2 million in the past two years from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention.

A grant coordinator from the state inspected the shelter on Tuesday after WUSA-TV reported on the residents' complaints, agency spokesman Robert James said. No major problems were reported during two site visits earlier this year.

The state also investigated complaints about the shelter in 2015, James said. After several staff members were removed, he said, conditions improved.

Keiyauna Stanley, a former manager of the shelter, said she was fired in November after contacting the organization's board of directors about conditions at the house and unpaid utility bills.

Carolyn White Williams, the head of a nonprofit that donates toys and clothes to the women in the shelter, said, "The issues have been going on for a mighty long time."

White Williams, founder of Sister 4 Sister Inc., said she complained about insufficient funds and shelter mismanagement during a recent County Council oversight hearing but did not receive a response that satisfied her.

"My heart is with those women. It makes me really, really angry," she said.

County Council Chair Dannielle M. Glaros (D) called the allegations about the shelter "disturbing and unacceptable."

"We anxiously await more details from the inspections and the results of this investigation before determining the best next steps to support the needs of the residents of the Family Crisis Center," she said in a statement.

Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks (D), who is running for county executive, successfully sought state funding this year to provide additional short-term housing options for domestic-violence victims.

Her spokesman, John Erzen, said Alsobrooks was motivated in part by long-standing concerns about the crisis center.
"We wanted to try and bring another option when people are looking to get out of dangerous situations," Erzen said.

VETERAN HOMELESSNESS - SEN RICHARD BURR WANTS TO END IN AMERICA

VETERAN HOMELESSNESS - SEN RICHARD BURR (NC) WANTS TO END IN AMERICA:

HOMELESS VETS CAN'T EVEN GET HOUSING ON US MILITARY BASES.

MANY HOMELESS VETS ARE FORGOTTEN.


Sources: Senate.gov, PBS, 60 Minutes, YouTube


***** US Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Veteran Homelessness


In May 2017, Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Homeless Veterans Prevention Act of 2017.

This legislation would build on existing homeless veterans programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by investing in established programs that are proven to be effective and removing any residual barriers to housing for veterans.

“Veteran homelessness is a heartbreaking issue,” said Senator Burr. “We are making progress in combating veterans’ homelessness, and over the last 2 years, we have seen the number of homeless veterans decrease to around 40,000, but that is still far too many, and I will continue to address this problem until the number is zero. In particular, many women have been unable to fully participate in existing programs because their children were not allowed to live in the transitional housing. The Homeless Veterans Prevention Act bill addresses this shortcoming and increases the availability of housing for homeless veterans.”

“As we continue to work toward ending veteran homelessness, we can and must do more to ensure veterans have access to the services they have earned with their service to our country,” Senator Mazie K. Hirono said. “By expanding existing VA partnerships that provide Hawaii veterans with legal assistance, housing, and health care, the Homeless Veterans Prevention Act will not only help prevent veterans from becoming homeless, but also assisting them in moving out of homelessness.”

“It’s our responsibility to ensure that veterans facing homelessness have the resources they need to get back on their feet,” said Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “This bipartisan bill makes sure that these veterans have access to health care, legal services and a safe and warm place to call home.”

Key Points for the Homeless Veterans Prevention Act of 2017:

Keeps veteran families together by allowing the VA to house the children of homeless veterans in transitional housing programs.
Requires the VA to enter into partnerships with public and private entities to provide legal services for homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless.
Provides VA with the authority to provide dental care to homeless veterans.
Extends and increases the amount of money available for supportive services to very low-income veteran families in permanent housing.

THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE 2014: GIVING THANKS BY GIVING BACK

THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE 2014:

This year I Challenge All of my Facebook Family, Fellow Bloggers and Target Audience, to either Volunteer for 2 to 4 Hours in a Homeless Shelter or Children’s Group Home on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day.

Or……………

Deliver a Decorated a Thanksgiving Dinner Basket/ Box with all of the Fixings for a full Thanksgiving Dinner to a local Homeless Shelter or Children’s Group Home.

GIVING BACK to others is always the best way to GIVE THANKS for our own individual Blessings!

Charlotte's "Moore Place" Offers HOPE For The Homeless

A walkthrough of Moore Place, Charlotte’s first real solution to homelessness

Billy Joe Shaver, 59, spent seven years on the streets of Charlotte, living in makeshift camps, most notably his “semi-permanent” home, a dwelling he constructed out of warehouse pallets and lived in for four years.

Shaver managed his basic needs to the best of his ability, despite bouts with mental illness and difficulty managing his medications. He found solace everyday at the Urban Ministry Center, where he would get a hot meal and an occasional shower.

It was there that Shaver became acquainted with Joann Markley, case manager for Urban Ministry Center’s Housing Works program providing housing and supportive services to chronic and disabled homeless individuals.

Markley recognized Shaver to be a perfect candidate for the program, which was launched in May 2008 to test the “Housing First” approach, a philosophy that says every person has a fundamental right to housing no matter their condition, physical disability or addiction.

Housing First offers permanent supportive housing to the chronically homeless meaning there is no time limit on residency and individuals receive supportive services to assist with their conditions.

Billy Joe Shaver moved into his permanent home September 2010 and still resides there 16 months later. He receives on-going case management and assistance with his mental health appointments, including transportation to pick up his prescriptions, help with paying his bills and regular check-ins by Markley.

Shaver says he was “spellbound” when he was first told that he would no longer have to live on the streets and describes the services he receives as “invaluable.” Today, he enjoys taking a shower whenever he wants, watching television (his favorite show is the Price is Right) and having the ability to wash his clothes on site.

The bigger picture is that Shaver is no longer part of the 10-20% of Charlotte’s chronically homeless who drain 50% of the available resources and valuable tax-payer money. Shaver along with 24 other individuals who participate in the scattered site program (formerly called Homeless to Homes) are a living testament to what homeless people need most, a home.

More than that is the combination of a permanent housing option coupled with supportive services.

As Markley puts it, “Chronic homelessness is a different animal, there is a wide chasm of transition, much like culture shock” that must be tended to.

In Charlotte, the issue of homelessness is old hat and the conversational path well-worn. For over a decade now, key organizations and agencies have collaborated, brainstormed, task forced and thrown a myriad of services at Charlotte’s growing issue.

Caroline Chambre, Director of Housing Works at the Urban Ministry Center comments on the longstanding problem, “There are great agencies doing good work, but emergency shelter and transitional housing are not a solution for the chronic population.”

Overflowing shelters and rising taxpayer costs, despite new services and strategies, are a clear indication of the persistent problem.

Until now, the ultimate solution, a home for the homeless, has been elusive, a white rabbit darting just out of reach.

Zoning issues, a weakening economy and political opposition paired with an antiquated perspective that the chronically homeless need to be “housing ready” before they are worthy of housing have contributed to the city’s inability to effect visible change.

On January 29, Moore Place opens to become Charlotte’s first permanent supportive housing complex to use a “Housing First” model and the first in Mecklenburg County to target the chronically homeless. Located off North Graham Street, Moore Place represents an important beginning toward visible change in the city’s housing landscape.

More importantly, it is home to 85 previously destitute individuals.

The complex sits on a 2-acre lot and boasts 85 individual apartments along with on-site case management where residents will have access to services and a supportive community.

The new development follows a model for housing that has already been implemented successfully in cities such as New York, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City and Richmond. Data shows that the taxpayer cost reductions are staggering.

The average daily cost for an individual housed in a residential unit at Moore Place is $29.50 compared to a night in jail which costs taxpayers $110 per night or a visit to the emergency room which carries a price tag of $1,029 per visit.

Moore Place enters the housing scene nearly six years into Charlotte’s 10-year Plan to End Homelessness which set a goal to have 500 permanent supportive housing units by 2016. Although the development barely scratches the surface of the number proposed in October 2006, Moore Place is the pioneering first step toward the achievement of that goal.

To Caroline Chambre, who has nurtured this project for close to 2 years along with an incredible community of dedicated and talented individuals and organizations, the development of Moore Place gives Charlotte a chance to affirm that homelessness is a solvable problem, that permanent supportive housing is a viable solution worth replicating.

“Housing First honors people for who they are, where they are,” says Chambre. “It is a just and compassionate solution to homelessness. With this approach, chronic homelessness is a solvable problem.”

For the city of Charlotte, Moore Place is revolutionary progress. For Charlotte’s homeless, it is hope.

Moore Place will hold a community open house on Sunday, January 29 from 3:30 to 5 PM. Contact Katie Church at 980-224-9256 for details.





New housing helping to eliminate Charlotte's homelessness

Charlotte took a big step forward in the effort to help the homeless get back on their feet.

The Urban Ministry Center held its grand opening Saturday afternoon for Moore Place.

The facility is located in northwest Charlotte and offers 85 efficiency apartments. Those apartments will be used for permanent housing for homeless men and women in the community.

It also offers on-site case management and other support services.
Stephen McQueen explained “...case manager... full-time nurse... all the services they need to transition from the streets into housing,” said McQueen.

Residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. They’ll also be responsible for their own cooking and cleaning of their homes.

Officials tell NewsChannel 36, the first resident is expected to move in on Wednesday.


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Sources: Charmeck.org, Clt Blog, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte's Homeless Children Crisis Worsens; Anthony Foxx Lied!

Number Of Homeless Children In Charlotte Up From Last Year


The number of Homeless kids living in Charlotte has risen dramatically in just one year.

A Child's Place, a non-profit group, now estimate there are 4,453 Homeless children enrolled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. That is up from about 3,200 last year.

The group's executive director, Annabelle Suddreth, says that number does not even take into account kids under 5-years –old.

"We estimate there are probably 1,600 more kids, which means over 6,000 kids who are homeless in our community," Suddreth said.

A Child's Place has put together some 300 bags of food for homeless families this Thanksgiving.

A young mother of three kids, who we will not identify, stopped by to pick up one of those bags. She says the holidays are always tough.

"It makes you think about better times, when things were more stable."

Being homeless and being a child takes a toll says Suddreth.

"They are four times more likely to be sick. They are twice as likely to be hungry. They are falling two to three grade levels behind in school," she explains.

Suddreth says coping with the growing number of homeless children should be everyone's issue.

"Homeless children in our community is not just the government's challenge and it is not just the school system's challenge. It's a community challenge,” Suddreth explains.

The group can't help everyone, but that young mother of three is grateful for the help her family is getting.

"Having A Child's Place helps me, gives me hope that things will be back to normal," she says.






Anthony Foxx, Charlotte Observer Lied About Helping Homeless


Last year while campaigning to become Charlotte's new Mayor, Anthony Foxx promised he and his new City Council (majority Democrats) would focus on eliminating Charlotte's Homeless population by providing Affordable Housing, etc.,

His cheerleader on this issue was the Charlotte Observer newspaper (community nickname: "Charlotte Disturber"), which constantly harped on and on about how former Mayor Pat McCrory didn't do enough to help Charlotte's Homeless citizens.

Well.....

Now that Anthony Foxx is officially Charlotte's new Mayor HE doesn't seem to be doing anything to help Charlotte's Homeless Families and Children either.

In fact the City of Charlotte is currently sitting on about $3M Stimulus Funding allocated for Homelessness Prevention.

Here our nation is facing one of the COLDEST Winters in History and Mayor Anthony Foxx is doing NOTHING to help keep Charlotte's Homeless Citizens, including Children warm.

This is a shame and a disgrace before God!

Mayor Foxx, Charlotte City Council Members, how do you all sleep at night knowing there are thousands of Men, Women and Children braving the elements while you sleep under warm blankets in heated residences?

Are you saving that $3M to give to Unemployed Bankers for No Interest, Small Business Loans instead of using it to help provide more Winter Shelters?

Actually those Loans would be more like Monopoly money for Business Experiments and Tax Credits versus real Small Businesses to spur regional Job Growth.

Now do you understand why I didn't vote for Anthony Foxx?

Yes I am a Democrat but I smelled manure before the horse was even in sight.

In other words I don't vote along Party lines just because the candidate is Black.

North Carolina already has its fill of Partisan, Do Nothing Politicians and I chose not to continue that pattern of ignorance.

Now that he's in sitting in the Mayor's seat, Anthony Foxx appears ONLY to have run to satisfy personal ambitions and fatten his pockets.

Not for Charlotteans, just himself. How Selfish!

I want America to know that when it comes to helping Less Fortunate, Homeless Citizens, Charlotte Leaders HAVE NO HEART!

As I mentioned in earlier posts don't just listen to Mayor Foxx's words, watch his actions.

Actions always speak louder than words.


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Sources: WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Reciprocity Foundation Helps Homeless & Gay Youth: The Next Generation

The Reciprocity Foundation


Each year, up to 2.8 million youth experience homelessness—a group roughly equivalent to 1% of the U.S. population. The causes of homelessness are numerous and range from being orphaned, fleeing chronic abuse or simply escaping economic problems. Some youth are called “throw-aways” because their parents and guardians force them out of the home because of sexual orientation or beliefs.

Taz Tagore and Adam Bucko founded the Reciprocity Foundation to enable homeless and high-risk youth and young adults to permanently exit the social services system and start meaningful, sustainable careers in the Creativity Economy (e.g. fashion, design, marketing, PR). The Reciprocity Foundation aims to build a national network of programs to enable homeless youth to enroll in college, secure hands-on work experiences and build a professional network in their field of interest. Currently, their work is focused on the thousands of homeless youth in New York City; in the future, the Reciprocity Foundation plans to expand into cities such Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin.



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Sources: CBS News, Reciprocity Foundation.org, Youtube, Google Maps

Haitian Children Living In Port-Au-Prince Tent Cities

Haiti's Tent Cities Offer Respite, Stoke Fears


In the best of times, the Champs de Mars square in downtown Port-au-Prince was an awe-inspiring sight for Haitians. The broad boulevard was home to the majestic presidential palace, the seat of the country's power and prestige.

Not anymore.

The century-old gleaming white palace is in ruins. And in the shadow of its wrought-iron gates, the immaculately maintained plaza has been overtaken by row upon haphazard row of makeshift shacks as far as the eye dwells.

These are the new homes of the capital's displaced residents: rickety quarters comprised of bed sheets, propped up on sticks and held together with ropes.

Nearly 500,000 Haitians have moved here, rendered homeless by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the impoverished island-nation a week ago.

Throughout the capital, and in other affected areas of the country, similar tent cites have risen -- cramped, squalid encampments filled with the few belongings that residents have salvaged.

As rescue and recovery efforts continue, these mini-cities pose Haiti's next challenge.

"This is the biggest one," National Police Chief Mario Andresol said on Monday. "We have new area to protect and new people to protect. It's another kind of security we have to ensure. This is the toughest one."

It will be an overwhelming task. The Port-au-Prince police force of 4,000 has plunged to about 1,500 -- the rest of the officers dead, wounded or missing, Andresol said.

Complicating matters, about 4,000 convicted criminals are on the loose. The capital's 95-year-old, badly overcrowded National Penitentiary collapsed after the quake, and the inmates escaped.

"We have an emergency now," Andresol said. "Because, probably next week, we will have more confusion on the street. The bad guys will be organizing themselves, and they can be the most principal threat to the police and the population."

Police presence at these new neighborhoods is sporadic. With electricity lines down throughout the city, residents bunch up their meager belongings into pillows and sleep on them after dark.

You put something down, and they steal it," said one resident, who identified himself as Ruben. "You know, there's no jail in the country. All the prisoners go out. You don't know the good people or bad people. That's why you have to be careful."

In some camps, residents have far worse fears.

"By night, with not enough electricity, some people try to rape and steal and kill people also," Andresol said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that he would ask for an additional 2,000 U.N. troops and 1,500 U.N. police officers to bolster the 3,000 U.N. police and soldiers currently deployed in Port-au-Prince.

But security is just one of the many immediate needs that tent-dwellers are praying for.

They await food and medical help.

In one tent, an 8-year-old boy suffers a seizure as family members look on helplessly. In another, a little girl cries in pain, her leg wound oozing.

"The people of Haiti need help. Quickly! Quickly. We need help!" a woman screams, tears streaking her face.

In another part of the square, an old man sits quietly, thumbing a Bible.

"My situation (is) very bad, very bad," he says. "God only know that. God can help me. God can do everything for me."

For many residents, there is little else to do but pray -- and wait.

The men mill about aimlessly, wondering when help will arrive. Teenagers rush off when they hear that water and food are available somewhere. Most of the time, they return empty-handed.

With little else to play with, children kick up dirt and squeal in delight. Their mothers squat by portable stoves, fanning the fire with pieces of cardboard.

All around, trash piles up. The stench is unbearable, worsening by the hour under the hot sun.

When night falls, the residents gather by flickering candlelight and sing spirituals to keep their spirits up. Occasionally, gunshots ring in the distance.

Eventually, they drift off to sleep on tattered mattresses and cardboard boxes. Tomorrow, they hope, will bring a better day.


Sources: CNN

America's Homeless Citizens Struggle To Keep Warm During Cold Recession

In Winter, Some Homeless Choose Between Independence, Warmth


The heat isn't working in the house, so Brook does what he can to keep warm for his night's sleep. He wears a thick coat and about five layers underneath, with a hat covering the hood that he draws close to his face.

He covers up with a donated blanket and rests his head on a bag where he keeps his belongings. The heat isn't working because he's not paying the bills. In fact, it's not his house -- it's abandoned, and he's not supposed to be there.

Brook, a 42-year-old homeless Atlanta man, is describing one of what he calls his many "catholes" -- places he's found to sleep and that provide some refuge from the elements. Standing on a central Atlanta sidewalk on an unusually bone-chilling Southern night on Tuesday, he says homeless shelters generally aren't for him. He doesn't trust the men who stay there, and he thinks he's better off alone.

"It's an environment where you can't keep your eyes closed," says Brook, who declined to give his full name and says he's seen too many men stealing from others in shelters.

Brook is among the thousands of Atlanta-area homeless choosing where to keep warm this week as a cold snap blisters much of the nation, including Southern states not used to an extended period of freezing temperatures.

Sherman Vickers, 63, also prefers to sleep on his own, usually using shelters and other homeless services only for meals and showers. On fair-weather days, he sleeps in parks, resting on a mat of inch-thick foam that he rolls up after using it.

But on Tuesday, a night when temperatures were in the 20s and wind chills were worse, Vickers was gratefully resting at The Shepherd's Inn, an emergency men's shelter run by Atlanta Union Mission, a Christian ministry.

"This time of year, you need to be somewhere out of the cold," Vickers, a homeless Atlanta resident, said Tuesday at the shelter.

This week, with morning temperatures in the teens, more people have flocked to The Shepherd's Inn than usual. The shelter, which normally takes in about 250 men nightly, took in more than 400 on Monday night, with cots and mats put in the kitchen and cafeteria to help with the increase, Atlanta Union Mission CEO Jim Reese said. An AUM shelter for women and children also saw an increase.

Though the cold weather strains resources at the emergency shelters, Reese said he sees the influx as an opportunity for the staff to invite more people into its life-skills and other programs, which provides reserved beds at other buildings.

How to help the homeless this winter

"I think what we would see is that might break a habit of being comfortable [sleeping] under a bridge," Reese said. "And maybe this environment ... gives them a chance to see it really is different."

More than 21,000 people in Atlanta and Fulton and DeKalb counties were projected to be homeless sometime last year, according to the Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative, a group that addresses homelessness in the area.

Even this far south, the weather can be cold enough to kill. In February 2008, four apparently homeless people were found dead on one day in Atlanta, and authorities suspected below-freezing temperatures were a factor, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported then. In Fulton County, which includes part of Atlanta, two homeless people in 2006 and one in 2007 died of hypothermia, according to the county medical examiner's office.

Though shelters expand their capacity and other groups such as churches may offer makeshift refuge in extremely cold weather, not every homeless person who'd want to stay at a shelter can. In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that 12 of 23 U.S. cities surveyed said they had shelters that at least sometimes had to turn people away because of a lack of capacity.

Brook, who says he's been without a regular job for two years and on the streets or in jail for much of the time since he moved from New York in 2001, prefers to go it alone.

He hints he breaks the law to make money for food: "I don't sell drugs, but ... I'm in what you could call creative independent marketing and distribution -- I acquire things for low and I sell high." He says he's also a barber, having acquired clippers he uses to cut people's hair at a price he says is lower than area barber shops.

He says his catholes are many, from regular haunts such as certain abandoned houses and parking-garage stairwells, to those he'll improvise on the fly, such as Dumpsters that he'll line with cardboard.

Where he sleeps depends on where he is, what he can find unoccupied and the weather. On a cold week like this, an abandoned house is the choice spot, though he doesn't want to always use the same one for fear he'll get caught. Each morning he departs a sleeping place, he takes his bag with him and stashes it somewhere else, trying to leave no trace where he's slept.

The worst, he says, is when it's cold and raining. Two weeks ago, he said, he reluctantly went to a shelter because of rain. Fearing a theft, he didn't sleep.

"You sit in a chair with a light on, so you can't really rest, but you get off your feet," Brook said.

Brook says he'd prefer a place of his own and hopes to one day make and save enough to have one. But while he's homeless, he'll take his catholes over a shelter.

Vickers, who says he's been homeless for much of the time since the late 1980s after he suffered a hit-and-run injury and lost his Atlanta-based trucking job, may prefer the outdoors, but he'll take no chances in the cold. He's been at The Shepherd's Inn daily since mid-December, he said.

"Being here at the mission is a good thing. It's well-staffed, it's comfortable, clean, the food service is good, and they're safe," he said. "It's good being out of the cold."








What Happened To Charlotte's Hall House?


There are nearly three-thousand homeless children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.

This time last year, many of those kids had a place to stay when the weather was cold. Here, at Hall House.

This year, though...that's not an option.

Hall House is still standing in uptown Charlotte. But it's vacant -- totally empty.

That means many of those kids and their families are back on the streets...braving the 20-degree temps...and searching for help.

Our calls and e-mails to the Charlotte Housing Authority went unanswered today, but in weeks like this one it's easy to understand why the need is so great.

You may remember that it was once for sale...and not in the best of condition. And the community came to the rescue.

Volunteers showed up with tools and paint brushes to get this building in shape for the new arrivals. Folks really had to work hard to make this place livable.

It was home for more than 60 families, but after just a few months, of those families went packing, and some we understand have drifted back into reality of being homeless again.

A number of agencies did step up to the plate including the Salvation Army's women's shelter.

We found one place in Dilworth that also opened its doors to the displaced.

Some of those youngsters ended up at least for awhile at The Relatives in Dilworth.

Staffers here are aware issues that affect homeless children.

It is a group they call Charlotte's hidden population.

The children who stay here range in age between seven and 17, and

over the last year they've had to give more than 300 local children a place to stay.

"They find places to sleep sometimes behind bridges under buildings wherever they can go.

They're out in the cold. When the temperature goes down you wonder how the kids are keeping warm. It's kind of scary. "

The need is great and especially when you see an empty building like this that was once full of life.

Many people are asking the question...why. WBTV will continue to ask that question until we get answers.



View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, WBTV, Google Maps

Charlotte Leaders Keep Homeless Shelter Closed In Freezing Weather

As people are struggling to keep warm this Winter, here's a thought about helping the less fortunate and another example of hidden Gov't Corruption.

Why is it that as Charlotte Officials receive more and more Federal money earmarked for Homelessness Prevention, Charlotte's Homeless numbers are continuing to rise?

Charlotte's has very few shelters to house its Homeless citizens and Children.

There's hardly any Affordable, Decent Housing available for Charlotte's Low Income citizens, so....

Where or what is the Federal Funding ($3Million in Stimulus Funds, etc.) to help combat this crisis being used for?

Inquiring minds would like to know why are Charlotte-Mecklenburg City/ County Officials sitting on this money or wasting it instead of helping people get off the street?

Where did the $3 Million dollars in Stimulus Funds disappear to? How was it spent? To Whom? For What projects?

Charlotte Voters and Inquiring minds would like to know now!








What Happened To Charlotte's Hall House?


There are nearly three-thousand homeless children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.

This time last year, many of those kids had a place to stay when the weather was cold. Here, at Hall House.

This year, though...that's not an option.

Hall House is still standing in uptown Charlotte. But it's vacant -- totally empty.

That means many of those kids and their families are back on the streets...braving the 20-degree temps...and searching for help.

Our calls and e-mails to the Charlotte Housing Authority went unanswered today, but in weeks like this one it's easy to understand why the need is so great.

You may remember that it was once for sale...and not in the best of condition. And the community came to the rescue.

Volunteers showed up with tools and paint brushes to get this building in shape for the new arrivals. Folks really had to work hard to make this place livable.

It was home for more than 60 families, but after just a few months, of those families went packing, and some we understand have drifted back into reality of being homeless again.

A number of agencies did step up to the plate including the Salvation Army's women's shelter.

We found one place in Dilworth that also opened its doors to the displaced.

Some of those youngsters ended up at least for awhile at The Relatives in Dilworth.

Staffers here are aware issues that affect homeless children.

It is a group they call Charlotte's hidden population.

The children who stay here range in age between seven and 17, and

over the last year they've had to give more than 300 local children a place to stay.

"They find places to sleep sometimes behind bridges under buildings wherever they can go.

They're out in the cold. When the temperature goes down you wonder how the kids are keeping warm. It's kind of scary. "

The need is great and especially when you see an empty building like this that was once full of life.

Many people are asking the question...why. WBTV will continue to ask that question until we get answers.






Could Apartments For Charlotte's Homeless Open This Year?


Advocates for the homeless believe an apartment complex recently bought by Charlotte Housing Authority could be put to use a year sooner than expected, to fill gaps in sheltering the homeless.

Deronda Metz of the Salvation Army Women and Children's Shelter said she's been talking to the Housing Authority about the possibility.

"They're looking into it -- whether it would even be possible to get some units ready this year," said Metz. "If it's possible, I think that they can make it happen."

The apartments, off Wendover Road, have 230 units total. About 60 of those would be designated for homeless families, once they are renovated. The plan is to give the families who live there not just shelter, but job training and other social services.

Kathy -- she didn't want us to use her last name -- knows what it's like to need the help.

"I've slept outside before, and it's no fun," she said. Kathy is disabled from a back injury and pins in her neck, and lives at the Salvation Army Center of Hope while her social worker helps her qualify for disability payments and housing.

She's grateful for a bed at the shelter, because she knows space is tight. "I don't know where I'd be without them," she said.

Metz said this is the soonest the Center has filled up when compared to other winters. All 200 beds are taken and another 27 people are sleeping on mats on the floor. With temperatures dropping below freezing at night, Women with children continue to show up, and Metz doesn't want to turn anyone away.

"That's what makes our job hard, because we're dealing with people," said Metz.

There's still a lot of talking and a lot of work to be done to make the apartments available so soon, she said. But there's always hope.

"It would make a lot of families happy," she said.






Charlotte Cold Snap Sends Crowds To Shelters


Predictions of yet another week of sub-freezing temperatures have emergency shelters bracing for overflow crowds in coming days.

The Men's Shelter of Charlotte reports that it's taking in about 531 men a night - a jump of 31 in the past week. And the Salvation Army's Center of Hope is housing 294 women - 94 more than its bed capacity. Of that 294, 114 are children.

Dealing with an influx during cold snaps is nothing new to either. But charities say the recession has changed expectations. It's possible that Charlotte has more homeless this year, and they'll soon be standing in line at the door.

"Last year in cold snaps, we averaged about 520," said Carson Dean of the men's shelter. "But because we're seeing so many people we've never seen before, we're bracing for the average to start creeping up to 600. I am worried: What will we do if the number gets consistently over 600? We'll have to draw up a new plan."

At the Center of Hope, preparations are being made to find beds for at least an extra 50 women a night. The center sends those it can't serve to the Urban Ministry Center's Room in the Inn program, which puts the homeless in local houses of worship.

But an increasing number of women are showing up too late in the day to qualify for Room in the Inn, said Deronda Metz, director of social services at the Center of Hope.

"If they show up at the door after 3 p.m., we need to find a place for them on the floor," Metz said. "The question is: When will even the floor space be too crowded?"

It's not just the homeless shelters that are feeling the impact of the cold. The frigid temperatures come at a time when more people are struggling to pay utility bills. Duke Energy officials say the number of electricity cut-offs from January to November of last year increased 6.7 percent over the same period in 2008.

Duke declined to say how many accounts were shut off, citing customer privacy. However, of the 131 people standing in line Monday at Crisis Assistance Ministry, 15 had no utilities and 54 others were losing their utilities that day.

The agency also kept three households from being evicted.

Crisis Assistance is helping 25 percent more people pay for rent and utilities than last year, said Carol Hardison, the agency's executive director.

"These families have no place else to turn. They are desperate," said Hardison. "We're the point of last resort before a family sleeps in the cold, or worse yet, becomes homeless. Warmth and shelter are two of the most basic needs of life."

The average amount required to prevent eviction and utility disconnection is $320 per household.

The recently re-launched Critical Need Response Fund will help in coming months, if the cold persists or worsens. The fund, which is managed by Foundation for the Carolinas, has already given out $450,000 since Dec. 18.

The money went in equal shares to Crisis Assistance Ministry, the Men's Shelter of Charlotte and Loaves & Fishes food bank.








Charlotte-Mecklenburg Gets Another Federal Grant For Homeless


Charlotte-Mecklenburg Area Mental Health will get more than $2 million in Federal money to provide services and housing to homeless people, U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell announced this week.

The “shelter plus care” grant is designed to offer long-term support to homeless people with mental illness, addiction or AIDS.

Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare, which serves Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties, also received an $84,744 grant.






Stimulus Money Will Aid Struggling Charlotte Renters</span>


An initiative to help people facing a housing crisis in outlying counties has received $1.4 million in Federal Stimulus money.

Charlotte-based Community Link will oversee the project, which focuses on both the homeless and struggling renters in Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. All but Union have unemployment rates higher than Mecklenburg, with Rowan the highest at 12.8 percent.

Floyd Davis, president of Community Link, says aid should start by mid-November. The money, awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is expected to help at least 150 individuals and families annually for the next three years.

"We have many people today who find themselves unemployed, not because they weren't a good worker, but because the business they worked for closed or they were laid off," said Davis, who applied for the HUD grant through the state in September.

"This program is to help them maintain housing and support services until they can get back on their feet. ...We can pay for their entire housing costs for up to 18 months."

Community Link will divide the recipients into two categories: 45 of them each year will be homeless who need housing; and 105 will be tenants who can't keep up with rent and utilities. They can stay in the program for no more than 18 months. Those who qualify will be given a case manager and other support, Davis said. Community Link, which helped 7,000 struggling people find affordable housing last year, will add two staffers for the program.

To find candidates, Community Link is partnering with six agencies in the five counties, all of which meet needs ranging from emergency shelter to help with utilities and rent.

One of those partners, Rowan Helping Ministries, runs a shelter in Rowan County. It recently saw a good candidate for the new assistance program in a family of six.

"The parents lost their jobs, lost their home, and had no place else to go," said Penny Bowman, program director for the ministry. "They stayed in our shelter for six months, until the dad did get a job."

Stanly County, where unemployment is 11.9 percent, just got its first emergency housing shelter in September. It has eight beds and was started by Homes of Hope, a partner in the new housing effort.

"We have a lot of average people in this county who are about to be homeless and if we could just find a way to get them through this next year, they could make it back," said Executive Director Skeet Ayscue.

In Cabarrus, the new program could put a dent in the estimated 240 families a month that face a housing crisis, said Ed Hosack, executive director of Cooperative Christian Ministry in Concord, another of the groups participating.

"We have three foreclosures a day and over eight eviction notices served a day," said Hosack. "We do not have the shelter and transitional housing facilities to respond to that. We know this program can have a tremendous impact in keeping some families in their homes, and helping others get back into a place rather quickly."

Cabarrus' problems with unemployment go back years, he says, citing the closing of Pillowtex in 2003, which wiped out 4,000 jobs in Cabarrus and Rowan counties.

The HUD money comes from the same federal pool that helped launch Project Hope in Charlotte in August. That $2 million project is crafted as a long-term solution for homelessness, proposing to pull Mecklenburg families and individuals from shelters, put them in apartments and stabilize their lives over 18 months.

Davis sees Community Link's program as a regional extension of the goals championed by Project Hope.

"It makes much more sense in my mind to help people stay in housing, as opposed to letting them become homeless and suffer all the disruption to their lives in a time of crisis," said Davis.

"I'm happy that HUD is finally looking at prevention, and I think it will be more efficient and effective."




Charlotte Strategy Goes Beyond Housing Homeless


Project Hope – a groundbreaking program that could change the way Charlotte deals with homelessness – is expected to be unveiled tonight as part of a Charlotte City Council vote to back the project with nearly $2 million in Federal Stimulus money.

Crafted to be a long-term solution rather than a quick fix, the program calls for pulling families and individuals from local shelters, putting them in rental apartments, and stabilizing their lives over 18 months with education, job skills, counseling and support from social workers and teams of volunteers.

The start-up plan calls for 100 families to be helped over the next three years. However, organizers predict hundreds more could be recruited if plans for another $2 million in stimulus money from the state fall into place in the coming months. Steps are also being finalized for a campaign to raise further money from local donors.

“It's a very exciting time,” says Roxianna Johnson, head of the Homeless Services Network, a coalition of 37 nonprofit, government and faith-based programs devoted to ending homelessness in Mecklenburg County.

“These dollars have created an opportunity to try things that we've talked about for years, things that we know work, but we never had the funding to implement on this kind of scale.”

The council will vote to contract with Crisis Assistance Ministry and the Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing (WISH). Those groups will manage Project Hope on behalf of the Homeless Services Network. A small portion of the stimulus money will also go toward short-term homeless prevention, including help with rent.

How the participants will be chosen is still being worked out. But the goal is reaching the most vulnerable of the homeless.

“Lives will be changed,” says Carol Hardison, director of Crisis Assistance Ministry. “They'll move from the fear of sleeping in a car or on a cot, to having an opportunity for financial stability.”

The ultimate goal, she says, is to keep participants from returning to homelessness once their time in the program ends.

That is the basic philosophy of WISH, which has helped 70 homeless families (including 130 children) work toward financial stability since being launched 18 months ago.

Sarah Covington, 28, is among them – and an example of what WISH hopes to accomplish in Project Hope. She lost her job last year as a certified nurse's assistant and spent the winter in a homeless shelter with her daughter. WISH found her a home, helped her find a job, and gave her a chance to enroll in college to become a registered nurse.

Better still, she says, the program showed her how to save for a down payment on a car, eliminating six hours a day riding the bus to work and school.

“If I keep working hard, everything is going to come through for me,” she says. “I was at a low point, worrying about where my child would lay her head at night. But I was truly blessed to get into this program.”

The Salvation Army's Center of Hope, a homeless shelter near uptown, will direct families and individuals to Project Hope. Center director Deronda Metz has already identified a few dozen families that she hopes will qualify. The center currently has 310 women and children, some of whom have been homeless for more than a year.

“We had a resident meeting on Wednesday and I grabbed the mic and I surprised them with the news on Project Hope, and they cheered and applauded,” said Metz. “One lady started crying. She said, ‘I didn't think anybody was listening.'”

Organizers say one of the most innovative parts of the project is the partnerships from all segments of the community. In addition to Crisis Assistance and WISH, Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services will assign three social workers to the project, more if the additional money comes through. The nonprofit Foundation for the Carolinas has worked behind the scenes to organize regular meetings of the partners.

Also key is an endorsement by the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association, which is encouraging apartment companies to participate on a case-by-case basis.

WISH Director Darren Ash believes a key to the program's success will be in matching homeless people with teams of volunteers.

“Social workers are there to lay out a path and hold people accountable, but what creates significant change is … when these families bond with people who have a different past,” Ash says. “They break away from other role models to a new set of role models.

“One of the biggest gifts Charlotte has is a sense of volunteerism, and this is a model that takes advantage of that.”



View Larger Map


Sources: WBTV, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, WCNC, A Child's Place, Charmeck.org, Charlotte Rescue Mission, Yahoo, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte Officials Sit On $3M Stimulus Funds Earmarked For Homelessness Prevention

As people are struggling to keep warm this Winter, here's a thought about helping the less fortunate and another example of hidden Gov't Corruption.

Why is it that as Charlotte Officials receive more and more Federal money earmarked for Homelessness Prevention, Charlotte's Homeless numbers are continuing to rise?

Charlotte's has very few shelters to house its Homeless citizens and Children.

There's hardly any Affordable, Decent Housing available for Charlotte's Low Income citizens, so....

Where or what is the Federal Funding (Stimulus Funds, etc.) to help combat this crisis being used for?

Inquiring minds would like to know why are Charlotte-Mecklenburg City/ County Officials sitting on this money or wasting it instead of helping people get off the street?

Inquiring minds would like to know now!










Could Apartments For Charlotte's Homeless Open This Year?


Advocates for the homeless believe an apartment complex recently bought by Charlotte Housing Authority could be put to use a year sooner than expected, to fill gaps in sheltering the homeless.

Deronda Metz of the Salvation Army Women and Children's Shelter said she's been talking to the Housing Authority about the possibility.

"They're looking into it -- whether it would even be possible to get some units ready this year," said Metz. "If it's possible, I think that they can make it happen."

The apartments, off Wendover Road, have 230 units total. About 60 of those would be designated for homeless families, once they are renovated. The plan is to give the families who live there not just shelter, but job training and other social services.

Kathy -- she didn't want us to use her last name -- knows what it's like to need the help.

"I've slept outside before, and it's no fun," she said. Kathy is disabled from a back injury and pins in her neck, and lives at the Salvation Army Center of Hope while her social worker helps her qualify for disability payments and housing.

She's grateful for a bed at the shelter, because she knows space is tight. "I don't know where I'd be without them," she said.

Metz said this is the soonest the Center has filled up when compared to other winters. All 200 beds are taken and another 27 people are sleeping on mats on the floor. With temperatures dropping below freezing at night, Women with children continue to show up, and Metz doesn't want to turn anyone away.

"That's what makes our job hard, because we're dealing with people," said Metz.

There's still a lot of talking and a lot of work to be done to make the apartments available so soon, she said. But there's always hope.

"It would make a lot of families happy," she said.







Charlotte Cold Snap Sends Crowds To Shelters


Predictions of yet another week of sub-freezing temperatures have emergency shelters bracing for overflow crowds in coming days.

The Men's Shelter of Charlotte reports that it's taking in about 531 men a night - a jump of 31 in the past week. And the Salvation Army's Center of Hope is housing 294 women - 94 more than its bed capacity. Of that 294, 114 are children.

Dealing with an influx during cold snaps is nothing new to either. But charities say the recession has changed expectations. It's possible that Charlotte has more homeless this year, and they'll soon be standing in line at the door.

"Last year in cold snaps, we averaged about 520," said Carson Dean of the men's shelter. "But because we're seeing so many people we've never seen before, we're bracing for the average to start creeping up to 600. I am worried: What will we do if the number gets consistently over 600? We'll have to draw up a new plan."

At the Center of Hope, preparations are being made to find beds for at least an extra 50 women a night. The center sends those it can't serve to the Urban Ministry Center's Room in the Inn program, which puts the homeless in local houses of worship.

But an increasing number of women are showing up too late in the day to qualify for Room in the Inn, said Deronda Metz, director of social services at the Center of Hope.

"If they show up at the door after 3 p.m., we need to find a place for them on the floor," Metz said. "The question is: When will even the floor space be too crowded?"

It's not just the homeless shelters that are feeling the impact of the cold. The frigid temperatures come at a time when more people are struggling to pay utility bills. Duke Energy officials say the number of electricity cut-offs from January to November of last year increased 6.7 percent over the same period in 2008.

Duke declined to say how many accounts were shut off, citing customer privacy. However, of the 131 people standing in line Monday at Crisis Assistance Ministry, 15 had no utilities and 54 others were losing their utilities that day.

The agency also kept three households from being evicted.

Crisis Assistance is helping 25 percent more people pay for rent and utilities than last year, said Carol Hardison, the agency's executive director.

"These families have no place else to turn. They are desperate," said Hardison. "We're the point of last resort before a family sleeps in the cold, or worse yet, becomes homeless. Warmth and shelter are two of the most basic needs of life."

The average amount required to prevent eviction and utility disconnection is $320 per household.

The recently re-launched Critical Need Response Fund will help in coming months, if the cold persists or worsens. The fund, which is managed by Foundation for the Carolinas, has already given out $450,000 since Dec. 18.

The money went in equal shares to Crisis Assistance Ministry, the Men's Shelter of Charlotte and Loaves & Fishes food bank.








Charlotte-Mecklenburg Gets Another Federal Grant For Homeless


Charlotte-Mecklenburg Area Mental Health will get more than $2 million in Federal money to provide services and housing to homeless people, U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell announced this week.

The “shelter plus care” grant is designed to offer long-term support to homeless people with mental illness, addiction or AIDS.

Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare, which serves Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties, also received an $84,744 grant.




Stimulus Money Will Aid Struggling Charlotte Renters</span>


An initiative to help people facing a housing crisis in outlying counties has received $1.4 million in Federal Stimulus money.

Charlotte-based Community Link will oversee the project, which focuses on both the homeless and struggling renters in Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. All but Union have unemployment rates higher than Mecklenburg, with Rowan the highest at 12.8 percent.

Floyd Davis, president of Community Link, says aid should start by mid-November. The money, awarded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is expected to help at least 150 individuals and families annually for the next three years.

"We have many people today who find themselves unemployed, not because they weren't a good worker, but because the business they worked for closed or they were laid off," said Davis, who applied for the HUD grant through the state in September.

"This program is to help them maintain housing and support services until they can get back on their feet. ...We can pay for their entire housing costs for up to 18 months."

Community Link will divide the recipients into two categories: 45 of them each year will be homeless who need housing; and 105 will be tenants who can't keep up with rent and utilities. They can stay in the program for no more than 18 months. Those who qualify will be given a case manager and other support, Davis said. Community Link, which helped 7,000 struggling people find affordable housing last year, will add two staffers for the program.

To find candidates, Community Link is partnering with six agencies in the five counties, all of which meet needs ranging from emergency shelter to help with utilities and rent.

One of those partners, Rowan Helping Ministries, runs a shelter in Rowan County. It recently saw a good candidate for the new assistance program in a family of six.

"The parents lost their jobs, lost their home, and had no place else to go," said Penny Bowman, program director for the ministry. "They stayed in our shelter for six months, until the dad did get a job."

Stanly County, where unemployment is 11.9 percent, just got its first emergency housing shelter in September. It has eight beds and was started by Homes of Hope, a partner in the new housing effort.

"We have a lot of average people in this county who are about to be homeless and if we could just find a way to get them through this next year, they could make it back," said Executive Director Skeet Ayscue.

In Cabarrus, the new program could put a dent in the estimated 240 families a month that face a housing crisis, said Ed Hosack, executive director of Cooperative Christian Ministry in Concord, another of the groups participating.

"We have three foreclosures a day and over eight eviction notices served a day," said Hosack. "We do not have the shelter and transitional housing facilities to respond to that. We know this program can have a tremendous impact in keeping some families in their homes, and helping others get back into a place rather quickly."

Cabarrus' problems with unemployment go back years, he says, citing the closing of Pillowtex in 2003, which wiped out 4,000 jobs in Cabarrus and Rowan counties.

The HUD money comes from the same federal pool that helped launch Project Hope in Charlotte in August. That $2 million project is crafted as a long-term solution for homelessness, proposing to pull Mecklenburg families and individuals from shelters, put them in apartments and stabilize their lives over 18 months.

Davis sees Community Link's program as a regional extension of the goals championed by Project Hope.

"It makes much more sense in my mind to help people stay in housing, as opposed to letting them become homeless and suffer all the disruption to their lives in a time of crisis," said Davis.

"I'm happy that HUD is finally looking at prevention, and I think it will be more efficient and effective."




Charlotte Strategy Goes Beyond Housing Homeless


Project Hope – a groundbreaking program that could change the way Charlotte deals with homelessness – is expected to be unveiled tonight as part of a Charlotte City Council vote to back the project with nearly $2 million in Federal Stimulus money.

Crafted to be a long-term solution rather than a quick fix, the program calls for pulling families and individuals from local shelters, putting them in rental apartments, and stabilizing their lives over 18 months with education, job skills, counseling and support from social workers and teams of volunteers.

The start-up plan calls for 100 families to be helped over the next three years. However, organizers predict hundreds more could be recruited if plans for another $2 million in stimulus money from the state fall into place in the coming months. Steps are also being finalized for a campaign to raise further money from local donors.

“It's a very exciting time,” says Roxianna Johnson, head of the Homeless Services Network, a coalition of 37 nonprofit, government and faith-based programs devoted to ending homelessness in Mecklenburg County.

“These dollars have created an opportunity to try things that we've talked about for years, things that we know work, but we never had the funding to implement on this kind of scale.”

The council will vote to contract with Crisis Assistance Ministry and the Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing (WISH). Those groups will manage Project Hope on behalf of the Homeless Services Network. A small portion of the stimulus money will also go toward short-term homeless prevention, including help with rent.

How the participants will be chosen is still being worked out. But the goal is reaching the most vulnerable of the homeless.

“Lives will be changed,” says Carol Hardison, director of Crisis Assistance Ministry. “They'll move from the fear of sleeping in a car or on a cot, to having an opportunity for financial stability.”

The ultimate goal, she says, is to keep participants from returning to homelessness once their time in the program ends.

That is the basic philosophy of WISH, which has helped 70 homeless families (including 130 children) work toward financial stability since being launched 18 months ago.

Sarah Covington, 28, is among them – and an example of what WISH hopes to accomplish in Project Hope. She lost her job last year as a certified nurse's assistant and spent the winter in a homeless shelter with her daughter. WISH found her a home, helped her find a job, and gave her a chance to enroll in college to become a registered nurse.

Better still, she says, the program showed her how to save for a down payment on a car, eliminating six hours a day riding the bus to work and school.

“If I keep working hard, everything is going to come through for me,” she says. “I was at a low point, worrying about where my child would lay her head at night. But I was truly blessed to get into this program.”

The Salvation Army's Center of Hope, a homeless shelter near uptown, will direct families and individuals to Project Hope. Center director Deronda Metz has already identified a few dozen families that she hopes will qualify. The center currently has 310 women and children, some of whom have been homeless for more than a year.

“We had a resident meeting on Wednesday and I grabbed the mic and I surprised them with the news on Project Hope, and they cheered and applauded,” said Metz. “One lady started crying. She said, ‘I didn't think anybody was listening.'”

Organizers say one of the most innovative parts of the project is the partnerships from all segments of the community. In addition to Crisis Assistance and WISH, Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services will assign three social workers to the project, more if the additional money comes through. The nonprofit Foundation for the Carolinas has worked behind the scenes to organize regular meetings of the partners.

Also key is an endorsement by the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association, which is encouraging apartment companies to participate on a case-by-case basis.

WISH Director Darren Ash believes a key to the program's success will be in matching homeless people with teams of volunteers.

“Social workers are there to lay out a path and hold people accountable, but what creates significant change is … when these families bond with people who have a different past,” Ash says. “They break away from other role models to a new set of role models.

“One of the biggest gifts Charlotte has is a sense of volunteerism, and this is a model that takes advantage of that.”




Charlotte City Council Uses MY 2007 Project H.O.P.E. Idea To Eliminate Homelessness & Win 2009 Elections (Here are the forwarded e-mails as proof.)


PROJECT CHARLOTTE H.O.P.E. PROPOSAL / Please also forward to Mr. Rodney Hood and Mrs. Sarah Stevenson
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 2:10 PM
From:
"Laurel
Add sender to Contacts

To:
malachigreene@gmail.com, gdunlap@bellsouth.net, sjohnston@tueforumclt.org, TueForum@tueforumclt.org, jennifer.roberts@mecklenburgcountync.gov, phelms@helmshenderson.com, dan@danramirez.com, karen.bentley@mecklenburgcountync.gov, normanam@aol.com, 2woodard@bellsouth.net, dumontclarke@mvalaw.com, dan@votedanbishop.com, wjames@carolina.rr.com, ddixon@pridecommunications.net, SBurg346@aol.com

Cc:
FoxxCharlotte@aol.com, JamesDistrict2@aol.com, patmumford@bellsouth.net, 71170.3036@compuserve.com, dwlochman@yahoo.com, district3_turner@yahoo.com, Lassiter@bellsouth.net, pkinsey@carolina.rr.com, adulin1@carolina.rr.com, barnesdistrict4@aol.com

Bcc:
yvonne.m.evans@nccourts.org, malachigreene@gmail.com, Charlied@ncleg.net, superintendent@cms.k12.nc.us, Maurice.Green@cms.k12.nc.us, washingtonbureau@naacpnet.org, actso@naacpnet.org, youth@naacpnet.org, torrey@pridecommunications.net, ncnaacp@gmail.com, RThames@charlotteobserver.com

Message contains attachments
project hope REVISIONS 1.rtf (67KB)
(Please also forward this e-mail to Mr. Rodney Hood
and Mrs. Sarah Stevenson.)


May 08, 2007

Dear Charlotte-Mecklenburg City/ County Officials and
Fine Citizens:

It was a pleasure meeting most of you during the Tuesday
Breakfast Forum this morning. I look forward to
perhaps speaking with you again in the future.

Thank you in advance for taking the time out of your
busy schedule to read this COST EFFECTIVE,
SELF-SUPPORTING Project Proposal that I am presenting
to you.

This COST EFFECTIVE, SELF-SUPPORTING Program is
designed to:

Help ELIMINATE POVERTY in Charlotte, STOP Gang
Activity, IMPROVE CHARLOTTE-MECK's ECONOMY, improve
Charlotte's DIVERSITY dynamics, Help to eliminate
Homelessness and improve the QUALITY OF LIFE FOR
CHILDREN living in this region.

This program can also be used to REPLACE the
MECKLENBURG COUNTY WOMEN'S COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT and
TRAINING PROGRAM, which appears to be NO LONGER
effective.

We should ALL want to help improve the Quality of
lives for our Children/Youth and help Low-Income
people to become productive citizens in this
community.

I hope this Project will provide answers for some of
the problems that are currently plaguing
Charlotte-Mecklenburg AND that this Project will be
the Catalyst for change needed to make Charlotte, NC a
UNIQUE, WORLD CLASS CITY.

(Please notify me if the attached document wasn't
accessible when you try to open it.)(The Attachment IS
Virus-free.)

THANKS and God Bless:)


Regards,



From:
"Laurel
Add sender to Contacts

To:
gflack1@bellsouth.net
Message contains attachments
project hope REVISIONS 1.rtf (67KB)
May 08, 2007


Dear Dr. Foloke:

It was a pleasure meeting you during the
Breakfast Forum this morning. I look forward to
perhaps speaking with you again in the near future.

Thank you in advance for taking the time out of your
busy schedule to read this COST EFFECTIVE,
SELF-SUPPORTING Project Proposal that I am presenting
to you.

I only request that the people for whom this project
is truly intended are the ones who are ACTUALLY
helped.

This COST EFFECTIVE, SELF-SUPPORTING Program is
designed to:

Help ELIMINATE POVERTY in Charlotte, STOP Gang
Activity, IMPROVE CHARLOTTE-MECK's ECONOMY, improve
Charlotte's DIVERSITY dynamics, Help to eliminate
Homelessness and improve the QUALITY OF LIFE FOR
CHILDREN living in this region.

This program can also be used to REPLACE the
MECKLENBURG COUNTY WOMEN'S COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT and
TRAINING PROGRAM, which appears to be NO LONGER
effective.

We should ALL want to help improve the Quality of
lives for our Children/Youth and help Low-Income
people to become productive citizens in this
community.

I hope this Project will provide answers for some of
the problems that are currently plaguing
Charlotte-Mecklenburg AND that this Project will be
the Catalyst for change needed to make Charlotte, NC a
UNIQUE, WORLD CLASS CITY.

(Please notify me if the attached document wasn't
accessible when you try to open it.)(The Attachment IS
Virus-free.)

THANKS and God Bless:)



"THE CHARLOTTE H.O.P.E. PROJECT": (TO BE UP AND OPERATIONAL BY 2008.) ONLY SERIOUS APPLICANTS NEED APPLY!

(CHARLOTTE Helping Others Progress Excellently) FOR SINGLE PARENTS/ ALL ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME CITIZENS

(THIS IS A SHORT-TERM PROGRAM (12 TO 30 MONTHS/ CASE-BY-CASE BASIS) THAT REQUIRES EACH ELIGIBLE APPLICANT TO FULLY COOPERATE AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL RESULTS.)

“There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.”
Albert Schweitzer

“The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule.”
Albert Einstein

“It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun; All I can do is reach for it myself.”
Joyce Maynard


I. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

A Pilot Project COMMITTED to assisting Single Parents/ Low-Income Citizens in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, into becoming realistically, totally self-sufficient within a 12 to 30 Month period, on a Case-by-Case basis.

The program will be mainly funded by grants as to request very minimal financial assistance from the city budget and will operate with GREAT ACCOUNTABILITY in order to prevent wasting of precious funds and abuse by participants.

Participants will be required to follow ALL components of the program in order to remain active in the program and to benefit from the project. (NO EXCEPTIONS!) PARTICIPANTS WILL BE GIVEN THREE GRACE-PERIODS FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY BEFORE BEING TERMINATED COMPLETELY FROM THE PROJECT, WITH NO CHANCE TO RE-ENTER!
(NO EXCEPTIONS!)

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST AGREE TO RANDOM DRUG TESTING WITHOUT OBJECTIONS.
FAILURE TO PASS A DRUG TEST WILL RESULT IN EXPULSION IN THE PROGRAM. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

THIS PROGRAM IS ONLY FOR SERIOUS PARTICIPANTS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES AND THE CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY; NOT WASTING PROJECT MONEY!!

The program will promote diversity within the community by encouraging applicants of all races/ BOTH genders to apply.

It is to be considered that only ONE to TWO HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS will be selected in the beginning stages of the project as to prevent program overcrowding and case loads that are too heavy for proper accountability.

A WAITING LIST WILL BE MAINTAINED AND KEPT CURRENT DUE TO PARTICIPANTS LEAVING THE PROGRAM VOLUNTARILY AND INVOLUNTARILY.

The time frame of 12 to 30 months is due to the fact that poverty can’t be cured overnight. It has been proven that short-term solutions have not been successful instead only creating more waste of valuable funds.

The purpose of this project is to not only assist our community in eliminating the poverty-stricken state of so many Low-income/ Single Parent homes and their children, but to also provide Low-income Single Parents with the necessary tools to become TOTALLY productive, positive members of society.

(This project can be used as guide in assisting other Metropolitan cities experiencing the same needs.)

Single parents/ Low-Income Citizens must not be treated as though they are a “thorn in the side” within the community.

However, they must also not be encouraged to continue to create more poverty by just receiving hand-outs without any real accountability. This project will also positively discourage more children from being born out of wedlock without placing a stigma on the parents or the children.

The total success of this program will require the assistance of the ENTIRE Charlotte-Meck. community as to encourage the participants, to ensure that the requirements of the program are being followed, to ensure that no funds are being mismanaged and to encourage the building of strong, non-dysfunctional families.


II. BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM WILL INCLUDE:

A. Counseling- (Counseling (by LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS NOT SOCIAL WORKERS!) regarding self-esteem and self-image issues as to create new mindsets for the participants) (You can’t pour new wine into old wineskins.) Participants needing assistance with drug/ alcohol abuse or domestic violence counseling will be referred to programs or agencies for long- term counseling.

B. HOPE Seminars- (Required monthly seminars taught by guest speakers) that the participants must attend to remain encouraged in their endeavors

C. Mentoring- Parental mentoring/ Life Coaches and long- term Mentors for the children.

D. Life Skills training- (Parenting skills, long term financial counseling/ realistic budgeting, housing assistance (rental assistance will be allowed (if needed) only three times during the duration of their time in the program), assistance with finding safe, affordable housing, proper nutrition and menu planning, home economics (basic housekeeping/ basic cooking skills (cooking classes taught by Culinary school student volunteers (Johnson & Wales)

E. Long-term (16 weeks) Technology training- Participants will attend computer training classes for two hours every other Saturday. During the last three weeks of these sessions they will build their own PCs to take home and keep at the end of the training.
This component of the program will help to eliminate the digital divide within our community, assist the participants with completing school assignments and to assist their children with being able to pass the North Carolina Computer Competency exam in the future which is a state graduation requirement.

F. Child Care- The program will provide an on-site, five-star child care (using the CMS Bright Beginnings Curriculum) center for young children of the participants for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years. The parents of these children MUST remain active (full-time) in the program in order for their children to continue receiving care. The program will also assist with funding for off-site child care. The on-site center will include a summer program.

ALL CHILDREN WILL ATTEND APPROPRIATE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
THIS INCLUDES CHILDREN AGES 12 TO 14, AS TO PREVENT THEM FROM JOINING GANGS AND TEEN PREGNANCIES.

The parents must also make time once a month (five hours) to visit and volunteer in their child’s classroom(s) whether it is in the Child Care Center or in their child's Public School classroom (this will be documented and signed by the child’s teacher). The parents must also join their child’s school PTA program if their child is in regular school (The HOPE project will provide such funding if needed). In order to receive this funding the participants will be required to provide documented, signed proof to their social worker or case worker on a monthly basis that they are in fact attending school AND passing their ALL of their classes.

The Project H.O.P.E. Child Care Center will be staffed by a highly qualified Program Director/ Assistant Director, some outside qualified candidates, qualified program volunteers and eligible program participants.
(THE CENTER WILL IMMEDIATELY STRIVE FOR NORTH CAROLINA'S CHILD DEVELOPMENT FIVE- STAR STATUS.)


G. A Love for Literacy and Creative Arts Component- The program will supply books as gifts once-a-week to the participants as to encourage the parents to spend time with their children by reading to them. Participants will attend family creative arts workshops every two months (Saturdays for one hour) with their children as to also encourage family involvement and visit the Mint Museum, The New South Museum and Discovery Place at the expense of the program or by soliciting sponsors of these trips.

H. Home Visits- The program will also require that the participants allow program social or caseworkers to make quarterly home visits for approximately one hour to further assist them in meeting their goals.

I. Transportation- The program will assist with transportation by providing participants with monthly CATS bus passes or gas assistance (no more than $30.00 to $50.00 per month by completing a mileage form listing all of their daily activity) and to award program graduates (ONLY graduates who have completed ALL components of the program including earning an educational certificate or an Associate’s degree), with a quality used car. Their contribution will only be $500.00 to be paid in Installments.
(Each Transportation Awardee must possess a Valid N.C. DL and Automobile Insurance before being allowed to drive the car.)


J. Legal Assistance- This component will assist program participants who have Misdemeanor/ Felony offenses on their records that are eligible for expungment and to make participants aware of some of their rights such as Tenant rights, Custodial Parental rights, etc.,

K. Career Planning/ Education: Participants will be allowed to take Career tests making them aware of their strengths and weaknesses before registering for any Educational programs. This component will also assist participants with up-to-date realistic, professional resume/ cover letter writing skills and interviewing skills. Participants will also be required to attend job fairs twice a year to hone interviewing skills and will receive assistance for creating a career wardrobe from the Dress-for-Success program, etc.,
APPLICANTS WHO DID NOT COMPLETE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION WILL BE REQUIRED TO DO SO WITHIN THEIR FIRST 3 TO 6 MONTHS OF ENTRY INTO THE PROGRAM. NO EXCEPTIONS!!


L. Notary Public (Optional) Component- This component will be optional, however encouraged as to assist ELIGIBLE participants in becoming North Carolina Notary Publics as to make them more marketable in the workforce.

M. An Interpreter for Hispanic Participants: The program will provide Interpreters for the Hispanic program participants.

N. An Annual Mother’s Day/ Birthday Party Program: Each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day the participants with children will attend a MANDATORY Mother’s Day program with their children and will receive gift bags, make-overs, decorated food baskets and enjoy a meal with their children. During this event five participants of the program who have been in the program for at least one year and made substantial progress will receive Mother-of-the-year plaques.
THIS IS TO PROMOTE POSITIVE PARENTING.
ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND AN ANNUAL PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDAYS OF PROJECT PARTICIPANTS.

O. Food and Clothing for Program Participants and their Children:
All program participants will more than likely be eligible to receive food stamps. However, the case worker or social worker assigned to assist each participant in achieving their goals will see to it that the food stamps benefits are NOT being abused and that nutritious foods are being purchased. Participants needing clothes will be referred to the Salvation Army or will receive Wal-Mart gift cards of no more than fifty to seventy-five dollars per quarter. Participants who receive gift cards must provide receipts of the purchases to their case worker or social workers as proof of not being sold or abused. Once a year during Thanksgiving and Christmas each family will receive dinner gift baskets. Sponsors (The Charlotte Bobcats or The Panthers) will be encouraged to “adopt” a family to assist with Christmas purchases.

P. Homeownership Component: Each participant will be required to volunteer once a year (TEN hours) in the building of a Habitat-for-Humanity home. The participants will also be strongly encouraged to participate in that program as to become “homeowner minded”.

Q. Commitment: The participants must be committed to remain in the program for the ENTIRE time frame and complete each component of the program. All participants will sign a bi-lateral agreement stating they will be committed to completing the ENTIRE program. The Project will commit to assisting them in this endeavor.


III. REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING THE PROGRAM:

A. Application: Each perspective program participant must complete an EXTENSIVE, COMPLETE Application which will include a signed criminal background and credit check form. (Participants with Felony offenses will be considered for program acceptance on a Case-by-Case basis, due to some Felonies NOT being expungable.)Participants with Misdemeanor offenses eligible for expungement will also be considered for acceptance into the program.

B. Interviews: The perspective participants must pass a three-stage Interview process. The first interview will be with a Case Manager or a QUALIFIED Social Worker. The next interview will be with a LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.
The last interview will be with the Program Board Members. During the LAST phase of the Interview process four to five candidates will be interviewed together in a group style setting.
CANDIDATES WITH CHILDREN WILL ALSO BE INTERVIEWED BY THE PROJECT H.O.P.E. CHILD CARE CENTER DIRECTOR AND THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS DIRECTORS, THEREBY COMPLETING A FOURTH INTERVIEW.

C. Skills/ Educational Placement Test: Each perspective applicant is required to complete a placement test to see what level they will need to begin to complete their educational goals.
If participants already posses an Associate’s degree and wish to complete the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree, this will be permitted as long as it can earned within the three to five year time frame.
However for those to whom this will apply EACH participant is required to earn an Associate’s degree as to ensure their marketability in the workplace.

D. Health Physical: Each participant will be required to complete a physical by a doctor however no participant will be denied due to reasonable health risks as allowed by law. (The program participants will also be required to have an annual physical to be performed by a board-certified doctor.)
PROGRAM CASE MANAGERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS WILL ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN/ YOUTH ATTEND REQUIRED DOCTOR VISITS FOR PHYSICALS/ UP-TO-DATE IMMUNIZATIONS. NO EXCEPTIONS!!


IV. PROGRAM FUNDING:

The program will be mainly funded by grants such as (these are all ACTUAL foundations/ philanthropists) (This is NOT a complete list of funders/ resources):

The Carneige Corporation
Bill and Melinda Gates
Bank of America
Wachovia Corporation
Soroptimist International (The Women Opportunity Awards)
The Gerber foundation
The J. Paul Getty Trust foundation
The Duke Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship
The John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation
The Mega Foundation
The Andrew Mellon Foundation
The Arts & Science Council
The Joan Mitchell Foundation
The Mellon Foundation
The Morino Foundation/ Institute
The MSMS Foundation
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
The John P. Murphy Foundation
The Messer Fund
The Mustard Seed Foundation
Wal-Mart
The Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Panthers
Children's Defense Fund
Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs and advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children. It is supported by a group of public, private and nonprofit organizations that share the Alliance's vision of ensuring that all children have access to afterschool programs by 2010.
Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) promotes high quality research in child care and early education and the use of that research in policy making.

Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is a membership-based child welfare organization.

Children’s Defense Fund is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

Children Now is a research organization that utilizes research and mass communications to make the well-being of children a top priority across the nation.
Docs for Tots is working to develop, support, and grow a nationwide network of doctors who can respond to the requests of child advocacy organizations and others to participate in advocating for policies and practices that improve the well-being of our youngest children. Docs For Tots was formed to encourage more doctors to fulfill their important role as active advocates for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers on the national, state and local levels.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a bipartisan, nonprofit anti-crime organization led by police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, victims of violence and leaders of police officer associations. The organization reviews research about what keeps kids from becoming criminals and puts that information in the hands of policymakers and the public.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation’s largest organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) supports early childhood education initiatives by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research.

National Center for Children in Poverty is a part of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, whose mission is to identify and promote strategies that prevent child poverty in the United States and that improve the lives of low-income children and their families.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices helps governors and their staff develop and implement solutions to challenges facing their states, including early childhood education policies.

National Head Start Association is a not-for-profit membership organization that provides a national forum for the continued enhancement of Head Start services for poor children ages 0 through 5, and their families.

Parents’ Action for Children is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the interests of families and young children. Parents’ Action develops parent education materials, connects parents with one another, and fights for issues such as early education, health care, and high quality and affordable child care.

Voices for America’s Children is a national organization committed to working at the state and local levels to improve the well-being of children, with member organizations in almost every state.
Etc.,

(As stated above only MINIMAL funding from the City of Charlotte/ County will be necessary.)


V. LOCATION:

The location(s) of the program must be in a central part of Charlotte in which the community(ies) demonstrates SIGNIFICANT need of the services that this project will offer.

A. Some Location suggestions are:

The Grier Heights community (off of Monroe and Wendover Rds.)
West Charlotte (Beatties Ford rd. area)
Southwest Charlotte (the Nations Ford rd. area)
North Tryon street area (near the Hidden Valley Community)
Belmont Community


VI. VOLUNTEERS:

All Volunteers including faith-based volunteers will be welcome, however ALL volunteers will be required to complete a Criminal background check and ALL volunteer names will be checked against the National Sex Offender Registry List.


VII. STAFF:

ALL STAFF WILL BE HIRED ON A CONTRACTUAL BASIS. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

ONLY CASE MANAGERS AND QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS WITH PREVIOUS, SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE IN WORKING WITH SUCH PROGRAMS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS.

CASE MANAGER AND QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS WILL BE GRANTED FOR TWO-YEAR CONTRACTS,TO BE RENEWED ONLY WITH "EXCEEDS" EMPLOYMENT EVALUATIONS.

EVALUATIONS TO BE GIVEN ANNUALLY BY THE PROJECT H.O.P.E. BOARD MEMBERS.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, WCNC, A Child's Place, Charmeck.org, Charlotte Rescue Mission, Yahoo, Youtube, Google Maps