10-10-10 World Homeless Day - COUNTDOWN – WEEK 9

We’re counting down, along with Portland Rescue Mission, 10 weeks to the launch of the first annual World Homeless Day on 10-10-10 (October 10, 2010).  Thanks for sharing these great resources PRM!  http://www.1010pdx.org/p/about.html

This week’s big idea: Learn About Homelessness

Statistics and stories shed light on the plight of homeless men, women and children.  Use these online resources to expand awareness and inspire action. 

ONLINE RESOURCES ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

1. Change.org – End Homelessness
   http://homelessness.change.org/
   
   Helpful blog covering issues of homelessness and related stories.
   
   
   
2. Alltop.com – Homelessness
   http://homeless.alltop.com/
   
   Compilation of 40 top blogs related to homelessness.  Includes links to the five most recent posts on each blog.
   
   
   
3. InvisiblePeople.tv
   http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/
   
   Short candid video interviews with homeless people from all across America.
   
   
   
4. U.S. Conference of Mayors - Hunger and Homelessness Report
   http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/USCMHungercompleteWEB2009.pdf
   
   (PDF download) Annual report on hunger and homelessness in 27 U.S. cities including Portland, Oregon.
   
   
   
5. National Coalition for the Homeless
   http://nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/index.html  
   
   Facts and statistics about homelessness in America.
   
   
   
6. National Alliance to End Homelessness
   http://www.endhomelessness.org/
   
   News, facts, statistics, interactive maps and more about homelessness.
   
   
   
7. Homelessness Resource Center
   http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov
   
   Compiled articles for researching homelessness.

10-10-10 World Homeless Day - COUNTDOWN – WEEK 10

This blog is a repost of a blog from the Portland Rescue Mission.  We thought the information was important enough to share.  Keep up the good work PRM! 

We’re counting down 10 weeks to the launch of the first annual World Homeless Day on 10-10-10 (October 10, 2010).

This week’s big idea: Challenge Your Thinking

What are your assumptions about homelessness?  Like most issues, there’s far more to homelessness than the stereotype.

10 MYTHS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS 

1. Most homeless people are middle-aged men.
   
   For many, the word “homeless” conjures up images of scraggly men standing on street corners holding cardboard signs. The face of homelessness is changing. In fact, the fastest growing segments of the homeless population are women and families with children.
2. Homeless people need to “just get a job”.
   
   Getting a job is a challenge for most people in these days, and incredibly difficult for a homeless person.  Most lack clean clothes, showers, transportation, a permanent address and phone number.  Others have a criminal past, learning disabilities and lack of education that holds them down.  Even if they find work, their low income often cannot sustain them.  
   
3. Homeless people are dangerous.
   
   Homelessness is often associated with drugs, alcohol, violence and crime.  So yes, life on the streets can be perilous for homeless men and women.  But very few crimes are committed by homeless people against those of us who try to help them.  At Portland Rescue Mission, the attitude we see most often from homeless men and women is gratitude.
4. Homeless people are lazy.Surviving on the street takes more work than we realize.  Homeless men and women are often sleep-deprived, cold, wet, and sick.  Their minds, hearts and bodies are exhausted.  Though help is available, they may have no idea where to begin navigating the maze of social service agencies and bureaucracy.  With no transportation and little money, they can spend all day getting to food and maybe an appointment before they need to search for a safe place to sleep.  And they do this while lugging their precious few possessions along with them in a bag or backpack.  It is not a life of ease.
5. People are homeless by choice.
   
   No one starts life with a goal of becoming homeless.  People lose jobs and then housing.  Women run away to the street to escape domestic violence.  Many people have experienced significant trauma and simply cannot cope with life.  Others struggle with mental illness, depression or post-traumatic stress. Yes, poor choices can contribute to homelessness.  But outside circumstances strongly influence those choices.
    
6. If homeless people wanted to, they could pull themselves out of it.
   
   Once a man or woman loses a job or a home, getting those things back can feel nearly impossible.  Imagine trying to get a job when you have no address to put on a resume, no phone number, no shower and no clean-pressed clothes.  Often, things like legal issues, criminal history, mental illness, physical and emotional health hinder progress even more.
7. Providing food and shelter only enables people to remain homeless.
   
   Food and shelter are essentials for life.  By offering these and other outreach services, like restrooms and mail service, we build relationships with people in need.  Then we’re able to offer them something more through our recovery programs, like counseling, addiction recovery, emotional healing, spiritual guidance, education, life skills and job training.
8. If we provide sufficient affordable housing, homelessness will end.
   
   Putting a roof over the head of a deeply hurting person will not heal emotional wounds, break addiction, create relational stability or establish healthy life skills.  Housing can help people who are homeless due to poverty.  But it can be a shallow and temporary solution for the many people who are homeless because they are unable to function in a “normal” life. 
9. Homelessness will never happen to me.
   
   Talk to the hundreds of homeless men and women we serve each day and they’ll tell you that they never intended or expected to become homeless.  They’ve had solid jobs, houses and families.  But at some point, life fell apart.  They are desperate for a way back home.
10. Homelessness will never end.
    
    Many U.S. cities have established ambitious goals with 10-year plans to end homelessness.  While these plans to provide housing and better centralized services to homeless people are important in reducing the scope and duration of homelessness, they will not completely eliminate it everywhere for all time.  But homelessness does end—one life at a time.  With your help, we continue to restore the lives of hurting men, women and children every day.

To continue the countdown, check out the blog here: http://www.1010pdx.org/2010/08/countdown-week-10.html

LPCS Open House a Tasty Success!

Last Saturday, July 24th, LPCS held an Open House Ice Cream Social to celebrate 25 years in the neighborhood.  Volunteers, community members, and passersby enjoyed ice cream sundaes with sprinkles and cherries on top, creative facepainting, and relaxing chair massages, courtesy of Lincoln Park Massage Spa.  In addition to the tasty and relaxing fun, visitors to the Open House had the opportunity to take a tour of LPCS' recently rennovated facility and learn more about the history of our time in Lincoln Park. 

LPCS would like to offer a huge thank you to the event committee: Rebecca Devlin, Trina Portillo, Nada Riley, and Lucy Shair.  We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Lincoln Park Massage Spa (www.lincolnparkmassage.com) for donating their Hired Hands On-site Massage therapist.  And lastly, we would like to thank the volunteers who helped give tours, scoop ice cream, and paint faces!  Thanks to everyone for making the Open House a fun and successful event!

For information on other anniversary events, please visit: http://lpcsonline.org/events

Happy Retirement Rev. Henry!

On behalf of the entire Lincoln Park Community Shelter - every volunteer, board member, staff member, and guest over the past 25 years, we wish Rev. Tom Henry much happiness in his retirement.

Rev. Henry has served at St. Pauls United Church of Christ in Lincoln Park for the past 36 years, 28 of them as senior pastor. He and his wife, Colleen, have shown amazing support for our every endeavor; from the formation of the shelter in 1984, through every growing pain and triumph, his leadership and the support of the entire St. Pauls community has been inspiring. St. Pauls members contribute by volunteering, donating, and serving on our Board of Directors, supporting every aspect of LPCS’ mission and vision. For the first 22 years of the shelter’s history, St. Pauls was a primary site for the evening dinner and overnight accommodations for guests. Our Saturday morning Community Engagement Program and One on One Program continue to take place there; both programs are integral parts of our effort to serve homeless men and women throughout their journey – from the streets to a permanent home. Every one of the hundreds of men and women who have put homelessness behind them for good has the Henrys to thank.

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, Rev. Henry preached his final sermon at St. Pauls.  Afterward, Tom and Colleen celebrated with the rest of the St. Pauls family at a special gala tribute to their nearly four decades of commitment to this community, and LPCS was proud to be counted among the many well-wishers. Best wishes, Tom and Colleen, for a restful and happy retirement!

Rev. Henry was featured on ABC7 news a few weeks back.  Click here to view the story.

FREE Ice Cream and MORE at LPCS Open House!

Come get to know LPCS!  Don't miss the upcoming Open House Ice Cream Social on July 24th, from 2-4pm celebrating LPCS' 25th Anniversary.  Learn how LPCS has been building hope and empowering homeless men and women in your community for the last 25 years.  Stop by, take a tour, enjoy family entertainment, and best of all FREE ice cream, FREE chair massages, and FREE face painting!  Maybe you have someone you've been meaning to introduce to LPCS, maybe you haven't seen our renovated facilities, maybe you just want to stop by.  In any case, grab your friends and family and stop by this FREE family-friendly event for some delicious FREE ice cream and a tour of LPCS. 

For more information on these and other upcoming events, please visit: http://lpcsonline.org/events/  

Action Assembly 2010

On Tuesday, June 22, 700 residents of the Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and North Center neighborhoods gathered at Temple Sholom  for the Lakeview Action Coalition’s annual Action Assembly.  There, leaders met onstage with elected-officials to both celebrate the accomplishments of the Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC), as well as to address the critical issues and needs facing community residents. The meeting discussed affordable housing, access to healthcare, homeless youth & police accountability, environmental justice, and the state budget crisis.

The Lincoln Park Community Shelter is an active member of Lakeview Action Coalition.  Program Director Betsy Carlson is involved in the Affordable Housing Task Force, working to preserve and improve existing housing stock (such as the Diplomat Hotel and various Section 8 buildings in the area) as well as ensure that affordable options are included in new housing developments (such as the redevelopment of the Children’s Memorial Hospital site).  Case Manager Murray Manus is active in the Healthcare Task Force, working to improve access to affordable health care in our community. Executive Director Erin Ryan is also involved in the affordable housing work, in addition to service as vice president of LAC’s Board of Directors.  LPCS sees a direct connection between our work with homeless individuals and our advocacy within the broader community for increased access to resources.

At the recent Action Assembly, community leaders received important commitments from the local officials to ameliorate the issues highlighted at the event.  For more information about the event and LAC, click here: http://lakeviewaction.org/2010_action_assembly.htm

Bringing a Community Together

About a year ago, I was approached by a young man, Alek, who wanted to do his Eagle Scout project with the Lincoln Park Community Shelter.  For those of you who aren't familiar with scouting, an Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project is the opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of his community. This is the culmination of the Eagle Scout candidate's leadership training and requires a significant effort. The project must benefit a community organization, but it be solely a fund-raising project. After talking a little bit with Alek, we came up with the idea of creating "move-out kits" for people graduating from our program.  Many of our guests only have their clothes and a few personal possessions when they leave LPCS.  The idea was that these kits would include basic items that everyone needs when first moving into an apartment such as a laundry basket, dish towels, dust pans, etc.  Alek set out to organize the collection of new and gently used household items to create these kits.  He created fliers, posted them around the neighborhood, and organized a collection date.  A few months ago, Alek, his family, and some friends brought in everything that had been collected.  In addition to assembling 20+ "Graduate move-out kits," Alek had collected a large amount of other household goods for LPCS graduates to access. There was so much stuff that the LPCS dining room was full!  Once again, the staff of LPCS were moved by how generous this community is to us and our guests. 

Alek has earned over 50 merit badges including Wilderness Survival, Fire Safety, and First Aid.  In addition to these merits, Alek has also held a number of leadership positions within his Troop.  Alek now joins the ranks of Neil Armstrong, Gerald Ford and other prominent individuals who have achieved this prestigious status as young men.  LPCS would like to congratulate Alek on his achievement of scouting's highest rank, Eagle Scout.