Vic McCarty and Local Edition did a story on our little knitting group. Check it out... Local Edition
Want to join us? Call Michelle 947-3200 x 201 or email michelleg@unitedwaynwmi.org
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
April Opportunities...
Looking for something fun to do in April? Here's a quick list of some volunteer opportunities, if you're interested in any of them give Mari a call 947-3200 x 206.
April 3-5 Flower & Garden Show for Habitat for Humanity
call Carrie at 941-4663 or habitatgtr@charterinternet.com
April 18 - Goodwill "Run for Shelter" 9:00 am Willow Hill Elementary School
www.runforsheltertc.com or email info@runforsheltertc.com
April (possibly third Saturday near Earth Day) - Tart Trails Work Bees
contact: Missy Luyk 941-4300 or missy@traversetrails.org
April 19 - Great Lakes Children's Musseum Annual Gala Fundraiser
contact: Emily Huntoon 932-4526 or ehuntoon@glcm.org
April 19 - Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Fresh Food Partnership at the Hagerty Center. Call 929-3696
Alliance for the Great Lakes is looking for teams to adopt a beach www.greatlakes.org
Habitat ReStore needs donations and will pick them up for FREE!
944-1182
April 25 - Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy preserve clean-up for at Arcadia Dunes Preserve in Benzie County.
contact Rolf at 929-7911 or rolf@gtrlc.org
April 25 - Traverse City Earth Day Parade. Help build the 2009 Parade!
contact Mari at 947-3200 x 206 or mari@unitedwaynwmi.org
April 3-5 Flower & Garden Show for Habitat for Humanity
call Carrie at 941-4663 or habitatgtr@charterinternet.com
April 18 - Goodwill "Run for Shelter" 9:00 am Willow Hill Elementary School
www.runforsheltertc.com or email info@runforsheltertc.com
April (possibly third Saturday near Earth Day) - Tart Trails Work Bees
contact: Missy Luyk 941-4300 or missy@traversetrails.org
April 19 - Great Lakes Children's Musseum Annual Gala Fundraiser
contact: Emily Huntoon 932-4526 or ehuntoon@glcm.org
April 19 - Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Fresh Food Partnership at the Hagerty Center. Call 929-3696
Alliance for the Great Lakes is looking for teams to adopt a beach www.greatlakes.org
Habitat ReStore needs donations and will pick them up for FREE!
944-1182
April 25 - Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy preserve clean-up for at Arcadia Dunes Preserve in Benzie County.
contact Rolf at 929-7911 or rolf@gtrlc.org
April 25 - Traverse City Earth Day Parade. Help build the 2009 Parade!
contact Mari at 947-3200 x 206 or mari@unitedwaynwmi.org
Monday, March 16, 2009
Give Them A Lift!
Can you transport a senior to a doctor's appointment?
RSVP is a volunteering program for those 55 and better. It offers several benefits including the opportunity to help seniors in need. Currently, there is a particular need for volunteers in Leelanau, Kalkaska and Grand Traverse counties to help our elderly who cannot manage public transportation get to their doctor's appointments. Other stops such as the pharmacy may also be required. Can you lend a helping hand and a ride to one of our elderly in need? Give Susan McQuaid a call at 947-3200 Ext. 205. The need is great - we look forward to connecting with you.
The need is huge! We can connect you!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Facts and Figures
In 2007 the State of Michigan published a report called "The State of Homelessness in Michigan". The report found that at that time there were 79,940 homeless people in our state. Now think about what has happened to our economy in the last couple of years, how high do you think that number may be now? Do you think homelessness is just a big city issue? Its not! There are nearly 3000 homeless people living in Northern Michigan. They live in shelters, they stay at the Goodwill Inn, they sleep under the bridge downtown, or out in the woods.
Here are some interesting facts and figures about the state of homelessness.
Northern Michigan
290 Chronic Homeless
627 Adults in Families
1298 Single Adults
867 Children in Families
2 Unaccompanied Youth
Totals for the state:
7080 Chronic Homeless
13,358 Adults in Families
30,843 Single Adults
16,751 Children in Families
938 Unaccompanied Youth
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked where families are one illness, accident, lost job or paycheck away from living on the streets. The rising cost of housing accompanied by declining wages creates conditions that put families at risk of losing their housing, and make it even more difficult for them to find housing one they becomes homeless.
Visit www.thecampaigntoendhomelessness.org for more information on this growing issue.
Here are some interesting facts and figures about the state of homelessness.
Northern Michigan
290 Chronic Homeless
627 Adults in Families
1298 Single Adults
867 Children in Families
2 Unaccompanied Youth
Totals for the state:
7080 Chronic Homeless
13,358 Adults in Families
30,843 Single Adults
16,751 Children in Families
938 Unaccompanied Youth
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked where families are one illness, accident, lost job or paycheck away from living on the streets. The rising cost of housing accompanied by declining wages creates conditions that put families at risk of losing their housing, and make it even more difficult for them to find housing one they becomes homeless.
Visit www.thecampaigntoendhomelessness.org for more information on this growing issue.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
1 in 50 American Kids Experiences Homelessness, a Number Likely to Rise
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Associated Press
NEW YORK — One of every 50 American children experiences homelessness, according to a new report that says most states have inadequate plans to address the worsening and often-overlooked problem.
The report being released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness gives Connecticut the best ranking. Texas is at the bottom.
"These kids are the innocent victims, yet it seems somehow or other they get left out," said the center's president, Dr. Ellen Bassuk. "Why are they America's outcasts?"
The report analyzes data from 2005-2006. It estimates that 1.5 million children experienced homelessness at least once that year, and says the problem is surely worse now because of the foreclosures and job losses of the deepening recession.
"If we could freeze-frame it now, it would be bad enough," said Democratic Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, who wrote a foreward to the report. "By end of this year, it will be that much worse."
The report's overall state rankings reflect performance in four areas: child homelessness per capita, child well-being, risk for child homelessness, and state policy and planning.
The top five states were Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota. At the bottom were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.
Reflecting the disarray caused by Hurricane Katrina, the report said Louisiana had the most homeless children per capita in 2006, followed by Texas and California.
However, Bassuk — a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School — said many states fell short in regard to policy and planning. Only six were praised for "extensive" planning to curb child homelessness. Twenty-four states received an "inadequate" grade.
Ken Martin, executive director of the Texas Homeless Network, said the large number of homeless children in Texas was predictable.
"It's not surprising when you don't put money into human services that you have issues come up," said Martin, who expressed hope that improvements are forthcoming.
The Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless is fine-tuning a plan for curbing homelessness. Lack of such a plan earned the state an "inadequate" rating in the report.
Michael Gerber, executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and chairman of the interagency council, said officials are assessing how to use $41 million in federal stimulus money Texas expects to receive for homeless programs.
In Arkansas, relatively few homeless shelters cater to families or single fathers, so it took a while for Vaughn Summerville to find Our House Shelter in Little Rock. Because it has separate housing for families, Summerville can stay with his two daughters, who attend an after-school program at the shelter while he works at a museum.
"It was horrible at first, but it's getting better," said Tiffany Summerville, 13. "I guess I'm still reacting, because we've never been in a shelter before."
Many homeless families miss out on such support, foregoing shelters because they fear having their children taken from them, said Sandra Wilson of the Arkansas Homeless Coalition.
Shelters in Arkansas are funded mostly through private donations, along with some federal money, said Julie Munsell of the state Department of Health and Human Services. There's no state funding, and backers of a bill to create a housing trust fund said they are not sure where the money would come from.
In Georgia, one challenge is serving homeless youth who are on their own.
"We need to make it safe for kids to ask for help," said Becca Orchard of StandUp for Kids in Atlanta. "The focus is on the homeless adults because we can see them, and they're a nuisance. We can't see the kids, so we don't think they're there."
New York was ranked 38th, worst of any northeastern state. According to New York City's Coalition for the Homeless, the number of families in municipal shelters reached a record high at the end of November — 9,720 families, the most since the city began reporting such data 25 years ago.
Among the families in shelters now are Galina and Mark Turner, and their 18-month-old son, Nareem. They were evicted two weeks ago from their apartment, unable to keep up with the rent.
"It's decent," Galina said of their city-run shelter. "The worst part is it feels like jail."
Mark, 27, is jobless, and thus able to take care of Nareem while Galina works as a security guard.
"We're trying to hold our heads up and be optimistic," Galina said.
The report said homeless children are far more likely than other children to experience hunger, suffer chronic health problems, repeat a grade in school and drop out of high school.
It stressed the long-term damage that can result from disruptions to friendships, health care and family routines.
"These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars," the report said.
It offered 19 recommendations for government action, including beefed-up federal spending on low-income housing, assistance to struggling renters and homeowners, and investment in child care for homeless children. It urged states to place homeless families directly into permanent housing rather than into motels.
Ending homelessness for all U.S. children within a decade is possible, despite the recession, said the report, which Bassuk's center issued to launch a campaign pursuing that goal.
"If we fail to act," the report said, "the consequences will play out for years to come as a generation of lost children grow to adulthood."
Associated Press
NEW YORK — One of every 50 American children experiences homelessness, according to a new report that says most states have inadequate plans to address the worsening and often-overlooked problem.
The report being released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness gives Connecticut the best ranking. Texas is at the bottom.
"These kids are the innocent victims, yet it seems somehow or other they get left out," said the center's president, Dr. Ellen Bassuk. "Why are they America's outcasts?"
The report analyzes data from 2005-2006. It estimates that 1.5 million children experienced homelessness at least once that year, and says the problem is surely worse now because of the foreclosures and job losses of the deepening recession.
"If we could freeze-frame it now, it would be bad enough," said Democratic Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, who wrote a foreward to the report. "By end of this year, it will be that much worse."
The report's overall state rankings reflect performance in four areas: child homelessness per capita, child well-being, risk for child homelessness, and state policy and planning.
The top five states were Connecticut, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and North Dakota. At the bottom were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana.
Reflecting the disarray caused by Hurricane Katrina, the report said Louisiana had the most homeless children per capita in 2006, followed by Texas and California.
However, Bassuk — a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School — said many states fell short in regard to policy and planning. Only six were praised for "extensive" planning to curb child homelessness. Twenty-four states received an "inadequate" grade.
Ken Martin, executive director of the Texas Homeless Network, said the large number of homeless children in Texas was predictable.
"It's not surprising when you don't put money into human services that you have issues come up," said Martin, who expressed hope that improvements are forthcoming.
The Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless is fine-tuning a plan for curbing homelessness. Lack of such a plan earned the state an "inadequate" rating in the report.
Michael Gerber, executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and chairman of the interagency council, said officials are assessing how to use $41 million in federal stimulus money Texas expects to receive for homeless programs.
In Arkansas, relatively few homeless shelters cater to families or single fathers, so it took a while for Vaughn Summerville to find Our House Shelter in Little Rock. Because it has separate housing for families, Summerville can stay with his two daughters, who attend an after-school program at the shelter while he works at a museum.
"It was horrible at first, but it's getting better," said Tiffany Summerville, 13. "I guess I'm still reacting, because we've never been in a shelter before."
Many homeless families miss out on such support, foregoing shelters because they fear having their children taken from them, said Sandra Wilson of the Arkansas Homeless Coalition.
Shelters in Arkansas are funded mostly through private donations, along with some federal money, said Julie Munsell of the state Department of Health and Human Services. There's no state funding, and backers of a bill to create a housing trust fund said they are not sure where the money would come from.
In Georgia, one challenge is serving homeless youth who are on their own.
"We need to make it safe for kids to ask for help," said Becca Orchard of StandUp for Kids in Atlanta. "The focus is on the homeless adults because we can see them, and they're a nuisance. We can't see the kids, so we don't think they're there."
New York was ranked 38th, worst of any northeastern state. According to New York City's Coalition for the Homeless, the number of families in municipal shelters reached a record high at the end of November — 9,720 families, the most since the city began reporting such data 25 years ago.
Among the families in shelters now are Galina and Mark Turner, and their 18-month-old son, Nareem. They were evicted two weeks ago from their apartment, unable to keep up with the rent.
"It's decent," Galina said of their city-run shelter. "The worst part is it feels like jail."
Mark, 27, is jobless, and thus able to take care of Nareem while Galina works as a security guard.
"We're trying to hold our heads up and be optimistic," Galina said.
The report said homeless children are far more likely than other children to experience hunger, suffer chronic health problems, repeat a grade in school and drop out of high school.
It stressed the long-term damage that can result from disruptions to friendships, health care and family routines.
"These factors combine to create a life-altering experience that inflicts profound and lasting scars," the report said.
It offered 19 recommendations for government action, including beefed-up federal spending on low-income housing, assistance to struggling renters and homeowners, and investment in child care for homeless children. It urged states to place homeless families directly into permanent housing rather than into motels.
Ending homelessness for all U.S. children within a decade is possible, despite the recession, said the report, which Bassuk's center issued to launch a campaign pursuing that goal.
"If we fail to act," the report said, "the consequences will play out for years to come as a generation of lost children grow to adulthood."
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