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Home My WebLink About2008 04 28 Awards and Presentations 301 HandoutsDate: April 28, 2008 The following were given to the Mayor and City Commission during Awards and Presentations Agenda Item "301" at the April 28, 2008 City Commission Regular Meeting. HOPE's beginnings... My husband, Rick and I have been residents & business owners in Central Florida for over 20 years. During that time, we have been involved in various volunteer and or outreach programs at our church; various civic organizations and our community. In 2006, we decided to reach out to a homeless family and in doing this we discovered that although there are resources available, it is extremely difficult for the homeless to gain access to those services. We also found that there is a huge need for many ancillary services that are not yet available anywhere in our region. By using our contacts & resources, we were able to get this family off the street and into secure housing, but we realized if we hadn't taken the time and effort to do this, that they would still be on the street. We have since met with many of the homeless organizations and service providers in Central Florida and have also attended many conferences held by The White House Faith Based &. Community Initiatives on Homelessness, The National Law Center on Poverty and Homelessness, The Florida Coalition for the Homeless & Florida Supportive Housing as well as many others. Although we have learned a lot along the way, we realize that we in no way know "the system", but we have learned that many of the services out there are merely "band aids" and do not deal with the root causes of homelessness nor do they offer real solutions to those experiencing homelessness. It was at this time that our vision became clear and we established a foundation for the homeless called, HOPE. HOPE is now working to address the problems of housing and homelessness with a coordinated, comprehensive, and strategic approach. Our plans include coordinating all levels of state and local government effectively utilizing those existing programs that serve the homeless as well as establishing new programs and services that are desperately needed. Some of the initiatives we want to start are educational programs that include apprenticeships & job placement programs that are accessible to the homeless, shelter for couples & families, transportation, access to food, health services, prisoner re-entry programs and many others. We want to enable communities to develop the capacity to envision, organize and plan long term solutions to address the problems facing the homeless. We are approaching this from a business perspective and as such, partnering with educational institutions, medical groups, large corporations, government entities, community leaders, non- profits, local businesses and civic groups. We are moving forward with our plans and feel that we are utilizing our collective abilities & resources to help make this a reality and truly make a difference in our local area and beyond. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about HOPE and how you can become a part of the solution. Together we can make a difference. Sincerely, 7?ick ~ K~-%ssy7d~ HOPE "br°id~,>ing the gap.fi~om homeless~iess tv self=sufficie~icy" HOPE's vision HOPE plans to address the problems of the working poor and homeless in a comprehensive, coordinated, and strategic fashion. To educate & change the way people think abnut the poor and homelessness in a way that compels them to action. We must publicize the need, promote the goal and provide the opportunity for change. This will be accomplished by utilizing the collective abilities and resources of partners in local government, business, civic organizations, medical groups, state universities & community colleges. Together we will make a difference in the lives of those human beings who have fallen on hard times and/or are less fortunate, but still deserve to live in dignity. We plan to effectively utilize those services that exist and to also establish new programs and services that are desperately needed, such as access to food, transportation, clothing, jobs & training programs in the Central Florida, specifically Seminole County. HOPE "bridging the gap from homelessness to self=sufficiency" HOPE Foundation for the Homeless, Inc. Master Plan For 20 years, communities throughout the country have been managing the homeless problem rather than seeking to address the root causes. The Federal Government has spent billions of dollars on homeless programs since the McKinney act of 1987. Despite this investment, there continues to be millions of people who experience homelessness nationally. Recently, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has spearheaded a national effort to both prevent and end homelessness. But they feel that it is only through local community efforts that this type of plan will work. We want to initiate such a plan here in Central Florida. It is actually a lot less expensive to prevent and end homelessness than to keep supporting it. We must implement prevention strategies that reduce the number of people who become homeless and increase supportive services and expedite placement into housing. The cost to provide one year of housing & supportive services to one homeless individual is approximately $9,000 a year. The cost to provide a family of four with a $300 monthly subsidy is $3,600. Waiting for at risk populations to fall into homelessness only creates more homeless specific programs, increases costs and deepens the human tragedy. The average person has only one picture of what homelessness is -but in reality, homeless people are men, women, children & families. Homelessness crosses all lines -and affects everyone. Homeless people are not a monolith; in fact, a "one size fits all" solution does not exist. Homelessness is a societal problem that requires a partnership between private charities, government & active public support. Homelessness is a national problem with local solutions. We feel we should do everything we can to help those living in conditions unworthy of their human dignity. Together we can end this National disgrace. Present services.... April of 2007, HOPE took over operations of the Sonshine Community Thrift Store. This store enables us to meet the needs of the community in many ways. Those who can afford to shop anywhere, come to our store to find amazing bargains and in the process support our ministry. If we have a family who is homeless and living in their car or woods, we can provide them with everything to make their situation bearable, and then once we are able to help them attain housing, we can provide them with everything they need for their home including clothing, household appliances, furniture, bedding, etc. We have partnered with many organizations in the community including Charlee House, Seminole Safe House, Beta House, many pregnancy crisis centers, etc. Emergency Food Pantry- In June of 2007, we opened the Sonshine Community Food Pantry, which now serves almost 500 families per month. We provide non-perishable food and fresh bread to clients 3 days a week all at no charge. We would like to expand our pantry to provide hot meals and also a summer lunch program for children. Sonshine Community Food Pantry is an official partner of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Outreach/Awareness Events- in line with HOPE's vision, we have been involved in several large events to promote and educate the community on the issues of homelessness & poverty. Our next scheduled outreach event is OneNow 2008 which will be happening on May 17`" at Lake Eola. This is going to be a regional awareness/volunteer initiative event with non-profits representing global and local efforts, amazing speakers & entertainment. Check out onenowevent.com to learn more! Resource Center- We are in the process of setting up our "official" resource center. Of course we have been helping families and individuals since starting HOPE, but we are now looking for a location to put the center. This facility would enable us to initially meet their physical needs such as showers, hot meals, laundry facilities, etc. We would then meet with them to find out how we can assist them. We are working with Access Florida & the Veterans Administration to offer numerous services and our also partnering with UCF's Social Services Program to provide intern to do case management. Future Plans.... Educational programs- We plan to initiate a tradesman or apprenticeship type training program here in Seminole county. This program will include plumbing, electrician, carpentry, and other skilled labor jobs. This will enable our clients to go out and attain good paying jobs and move them out of the cycle of poverty and/or homelessness. To establish these programs we plan to work with local businesses, other organizations & retired volunteers to come in to give training courses on their specific areas of expertise. We are also in communication with the University of Central Florida, Seminole Community College & Valencia Community College and plan to utilize their graduate students to provide the man power needed to successfully implement and run these programs. Family Housing -There is a desperate need for shelter, transitional housing and affordable housing in Seminole County. At the present time, there are no family facilities for the homeless anywhere in our county. But because this is where they work & live, our families will choose to live in the woods or in their car rather than go to downtown Orlando to get into a shelter. Our plans are to purchase an existing building and make it into a transitional housing facility. We would like to give families that are experiencing homelessness a place to go where they can stay intact as a family and have the time necessary to get back on their feet. We also plan to partner with local builders and the county to spearhead an effort to build affordable housing for low income & extremely low income families. HOPE Services provided in 2007 Families we help: 25% are low income 70% of our families are at or below the poverty level 20010 of our families are homeless, living in temporary housing, such as hotels, at a friend's home, in their cars 20% are prisoners reentering into society 60% are single mothers 15% have a drug or alcohol addiction 5% are elderly living below the poverty level 5% are veterans 5-10% are disabled In 2007, we served a total of 13,601 families were served for a total of $194,459.95 in assistance in merchandise, financial assistance furniture & food in 2007, consisting of the following: Merchandise valued at $37,998.00 given to families including, but not limited to the following: Clothing, coats, shoes, Household goods, appliances, Household Furniture, Bedroom Furniture, bedding supplies, bath supplies, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, educational supplies, computers & printers Financial ~-ssistance- $4,661.95 in including: Rental, boarding house, motels or other housing assistance - $2,188.28 Gas & bus passes- 209.00 Shelter/Motels/temporary housing-$500.00 Utilities- $482.18 Financial assistance, emergency cash assistance- $350.00 Store purchase cards & grocery cards-$832.49 Toiletries- $100 Sonshine Food Pantry- opened ]une 16, 2007, has served on avg 90 families per week with 4.5 people avg. per family- ]une -Dec. for a total of 12,960 people served in 2007. Bags of food provided in pantry in 2007: 5,760 @ value of $25 per bag $144,000 in food given Emergency food packages, approximately ix per week 4 bags are given to those families for a total of $100 value. $3,200 total in 2007. Thanksgiving - 30 families were given complete thanksgiving dinners with a turkey and all the side dishes included. $45 value per family, Total of $1,350. Christmas- 80 families were given complete Christmas dinners with a turkey and all the side dishes included- $45 value per family, total of $3,600. Christmas Gifts: 156 children- 2 presents each for a total of 312 gifts avg worth $25 per gift for a total of $7,800 value. Stats & Gaps in Services for Seminole County Seminole County Annual Income Median income - $49,199 for family of 4 Low Income - $24,599 for a family of 4 Very low (poverty level) less than $24,599 for a family of 4 71,555 school age children live in poverty in Seminole County (US Census from 2004) There are 1,700 Homeless in Seminole County and 723 are children in Seminole county schools Homeless Stats: 45% of the homeless are families with children 30% are women 79% are under the age of 50 30% of the homeless have jobs 61% are Caucasian 17% are African -American 16% are Hispanic Gaffs in Services in Seminole County: There is not any family emergency or transitional living facility There is not a prisoner re-entry program in our county Emergencv Shelter and Housing needs in Seminole county: *According to the Homeless Services Network Statistics We need: 300 Emergency Shelter Beds 400 Transitional housing beds 250 permanent supportive housing beds Need Affordable housing units built throughout the county ~r HST k f ~ "bridging {fie gsp ow. how~efeSSneSS fo Se Su~c~ency" 149 E Broadway St, Oviedo 407-366-3422 "For I was hungry and you gave me some- thing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes attd you ~., ~ clothed me, I was sick and you looked after ~ ~ me, I was in prison and you came to visit vi ~ me." ~ ~ ,~ ~ Then the righteous will answer him, " ~ ~ Lord, when did we see you hungry and ~ feed you, or thirsty and give you something -~ '~' to drink? When did we see you a stranger ~ ~ and invite you in, or needing clothes atsd ~-~ ~-+ clothe you? When did we see you sick or in - ~+ ~ prison and go to visit you?" w w The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, ¢+ ~` whatever you did for one of the least of " ~ ~ ~ x these brothers of mine, you did for me. ' . 1tLatthew 25:350 ~--i Two of HOPE's ministries in Seminole County are Sonshine Community Thrift Store and Sonshine Community Food Pantry. T "br~dg~ng fhe gap #'row~ how~eteSSneSS fo sc Su~ctency" Our Mission: To reduce and end the tragedy of homelessness among families throughout Central Florida. Our Objectives; • Coordinate all levels of state and local government programs and services to assist those fami- lies who are homeless or are at' risk of becoming homeless. • Work closely with local secular and faith-based organizations to assist those families who are homeless or are at risk of becom- ing homeless. • Plan and implement a 10-year master plan to prevent and end the tragedy of homelessness in Central Florida and become a model for the state. v ~ ~ ~ v °~ a ~ ~ o 0 xx ~~ o~ w w n., °~ ~ ~ x ~ `~ Homelessness affects everyone. OneClow 3=00-600 non-proftt tabing/food/entertainm~t 600-800 speakers/~tenainmendawarp~ess ~e" 8=00 ~"~aie-Commtmity "one Voice" ltd c~dieiight ceremony •Non-Profits from around the region, raising awareness and volunteer initiatives `' • Inspirational speakers focusing on poverty and homelessness • Family friendly, food, live entertainment • Positive message of HOPE OoeNow is ~ outreoch of ~ he NOSE fomdadon ~ ~ ; ~ ~; ~ ~; r: he~forthehome~ss.net a.i. __ _ .. / _ # ., ~- ~~ ~ .~.'r ~ -...-.. ..__ /` __ ~` -" .~ _ G Corr ~earf To ~~ "{~r~dg~ng the gap frown G+ow~eleSSness to self Suf{'~c~ency" krissy todd Executive Director Direct:407-399-9954 Fax:407-366-4406 krissy@HelpForTheHomeless. net www. HelpForTheHomeless. net