Take a look at this post over at the Orlando Sentinel Change the World blog. Compelling stuff to think about! Sphere: Related Content
Showing posts with label hunger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hunger. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Another face of homelessness ...
Take a look at this post over at the Orlando Sentinel Change the World blog. Compelling stuff to think about! Sphere: Related Content
Looking for the Face of Homelessness in Osceola County
The Hidden Face of Homelessness
Imagine yourself a single Mom in a one-bedroom motel room ---
you, your two children, and one bed. You wake up at 5 a.m. and get your kids ready for school, you put them on the school bus and you head into work. Last night was hard, the room was loud and you didn't get much sleep. The kids will get home in the afternoon, and you won't be there, because you will still be working. You will bring home your paycheck, pay the $150 a week motel fee, and never have enough to move out on your own.
THIS is the hidden face of homelessness in Osceola County — a face that Helping Others Make the Effort is working hard to change! We have families daily who are in the above situation, but luckily we can also share a story of hope and how HOME helped one family succeed.
A Success Story
Layka grew up in Puerto Rico with a very loving family. She valued education and remembers reading book after book as a child. Layka got married during her years as a student at the University of Puerto Rico.
Layka's marriage was a rocky one. Her husband was abusive and it took several years for her to get up the courage and admit to her family that something was wrong. She and her two daughters first moved in with her parents but then she decided to move from Puerto Rico to Florida.
When Layka moved to central Florida she had a good job. She figured she would live in a hotel with her two children until she had saved enough money for a deposit and rent on an apartment. Instead, Layka and her children lived in that hotel for two years.
However, during those two years she didn't give up. She spent her nights teaching herself English by reading the newspaper and researched opportunities to make her family's life better. That's how she found out about HOME.
When Layka moved to the HOME campus, her self-esteem improved greatly. She started a journal and is comfortable telling her story to others. She has two daughters, who have grown leaps and bounds since coming to the HOME Campus.
Today Layka lives in her own home, a two bedroom apartment in Kissimmee, Fla., a very different place than where she was just one year ago. Today she is continuing her journey of self-sufficiency, has a great job, and is a spokesperson for HOME. In fact, by clicking here you can hear Lyaka's story first-hand through our You-Tube Video Service.
Imagine yourself a single Mom in a one-bedroom motel room ---
you, your two children, and one bed. You wake up at 5 a.m. and get your kids ready for school, you put them on the school bus and you head into work. Last night was hard, the room was loud and you didn't get much sleep. The kids will get home in the afternoon, and you won't be there, because you will still be working. You will bring home your paycheck, pay the $150 a week motel fee, and never have enough to move out on your own.THIS is the hidden face of homelessness in Osceola County — a face that Helping Others Make the Effort is working hard to change! We have families daily who are in the above situation, but luckily we can also share a story of hope and how HOME helped one family succeed.
A Success Story
Layka grew up in Puerto Rico with a very loving family. She valued education and remembers reading book after book as a child. Layka got married during her years as a student at the University of Puerto Rico.
Layka's marriage was a rocky one. Her husband was abusive and it took several years for her to get up the courage and admit to her family that something was wrong. She and her two daughters first moved in with her parents but then she decided to move from Puerto Rico to Florida.
When Layka moved to central Florida she had a good job. She figured she would live in a hotel with her two children until she had saved enough money for a deposit and rent on an apartment. Instead, Layka and her children lived in that hotel for two years.
However, during those two years she didn't give up. She spent her nights teaching herself English by reading the newspaper and researched opportunities to make her family's life better. That's how she found out about HOME.
When Layka moved to the HOME campus, her self-esteem improved greatly. She started a journal and is comfortable telling her story to others. She has two daughters, who have grown leaps and bounds since coming to the HOME Campus.
Today Layka lives in her own home, a two bedroom apartment in Kissimmee, Fla., a very different place than where she was just one year ago. Today she is continuing her journey of self-sufficiency, has a great job, and is a spokesperson for HOME. In fact, by clicking here you can hear Lyaka's story first-hand through our You-Tube Video Service.
The Truth about Homelessness
Families like Layka's are everywhere is Osceola County. In fact, many of them remain unaccounted for in our system. According to an article at Florida Trend, hundreds of thousands of Floridians, including families who are doubled up or living in motels, are uncounted during the census process. The article states, "Key characteristics of hard-to-count communities include poverty, low educational attainment, unemployment, complex household arrangements and high rates of mobility." They also probably were not included in the annual point in time homeless survey, because that count only includes unsheltered (living on the streets) homeless. These are the clients we serve, those in hotels and motels, living in cars, doubled up with family, and other unsafe living arrangements. Yet, they are unaccounted for in every way.
You may ask why this matters. It matters because many grants that HOME can apply for are based on area population estimates. If, for example, 200,000 people are uncounted, the number of people needing our services seems lower than it really is.
How you can help
HOME has been working very diligently over the past year to diversify our fundraising. This means that we do not simply want to rely on grants and federal funding, and that we need donations from people like you. It costs only $25 a day to sponsor a family on the HOME campus, by giving them safe housing, access to free resources, and the skills to help them get back on their feet. Layka's story is compelling, and she is a success. Won't you sponsor a family today and help break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County? Donate here!
Sphere: Related Content
Families like Layka's are everywhere is Osceola County. In fact, many of them remain unaccounted for in our system. According to an article at Florida Trend, hundreds of thousands of Floridians, including families who are doubled up or living in motels, are uncounted during the census process. The article states, "Key characteristics of hard-to-count communities include poverty, low educational attainment, unemployment, complex household arrangements and high rates of mobility." They also probably were not included in the annual point in time homeless survey, because that count only includes unsheltered (living on the streets) homeless. These are the clients we serve, those in hotels and motels, living in cars, doubled up with family, and other unsafe living arrangements. Yet, they are unaccounted for in every way.
You may ask why this matters. It matters because many grants that HOME can apply for are based on area population estimates. If, for example, 200,000 people are uncounted, the number of people needing our services seems lower than it really is.
How you can help
HOME has been working very diligently over the past year to diversify our fundraising. This means that we do not simply want to rely on grants and federal funding, and that we need donations from people like you. It costs only $25 a day to sponsor a family on the HOME campus, by giving them safe housing, access to free resources, and the skills to help them get back on their feet. Layka's story is compelling, and she is a success. Won't you sponsor a family today and help break the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County? Donate here!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
New shared articles/Home for the Holidays
I have been very selective about what gets added to the "we've done the research for you" section, in an effort to give you only the most important and relevant information. If you're really interested in housing, homelessness, social justice, or philanthropy, please check it out. Today's add is from Tactical Philanthropy and is about Google Finance's new effort to provide a centralized source for information about nonprofits- and the ability to create forum for user/donor interactions with each other and with the agencies. I'm a strong believer in all things Google- they are constantly adding relevant and practical tools that make my life easier. Another Google thumbs up goes to Google.org, their foundation arm. They are taking a venture capital approach to social change that I believe is the future of philanthropy. Anyways, check it out, and research Google.org if you have a chance.
Other news- Home for the Holidays today was a great success, in my opinion. Our social service and job fair was a hit, we were able to serve many needy families with toys AND provided food to take home for their whole family. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible! By the way, HOME took the opportunity to get some important data from guests. In the next month or so, we'll have some really interesting information (with zip code level data, for all you dataheads) on the current needs and issues in the County. This is probably the most comprehensive and largest survey of Osceola families living in poverty that's been done for a long time (if not ever). I can already tell you just by glancing at 50 or so surveys that food security is a HUGE issue for our families. Almost all respondents reported that they "sometimes" or "often" worried about not having enough food to feed their family. Wow. We need to work on that.
As for the HOME campus update, site work is in full swing, and we are looking at a matter of weeks until move-in. Expect a big announcement early next week (no, it's not an open house date, but it's just as exciting). We have gotten lots of calls for donations since the Sentinel ran a blurb about our needs last week. Thank you to all who have donated- it is much appreciated. Sphere: Related Content
Other news- Home for the Holidays today was a great success, in my opinion. Our social service and job fair was a hit, we were able to serve many needy families with toys AND provided food to take home for their whole family. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible! By the way, HOME took the opportunity to get some important data from guests. In the next month or so, we'll have some really interesting information (with zip code level data, for all you dataheads) on the current needs and issues in the County. This is probably the most comprehensive and largest survey of Osceola families living in poverty that's been done for a long time (if not ever). I can already tell you just by glancing at 50 or so surveys that food security is a HUGE issue for our families. Almost all respondents reported that they "sometimes" or "often" worried about not having enough food to feed their family. Wow. We need to work on that.
As for the HOME campus update, site work is in full swing, and we are looking at a matter of weeks until move-in. Expect a big announcement early next week (no, it's not an open house date, but it's just as exciting). We have gotten lots of calls for donations since the Sentinel ran a blurb about our needs last week. Thank you to all who have donated- it is much appreciated. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, November 19, 2007
Learning meets the fight against hunger
Those of you who know me best know that I'm an entirely food-centric person. So this post, in keeping with the Thanksgiving spirit, is all about food. And hunger.
I saw a story about Free Rice last week on CBS News and thought it was worth sharing. It's a social enterprise-esque site that helps you improve your vocabulary and fight hunger. It's VERY simple. You are given a word and a choice of synonyms for that word. Choose the correct one and BAM, you get 10 grains of rice in your bowl. This translates into real rice that will be distributed by the World Food Program. The cost of the rice is paid for by the advertisers shown at the bottom of the screen. I wonder what happens if you fill your entire bowl? If you manage to get that far, please post a comment and let us all know what happens.
If you're looking to fight hunger locally, look no further. We've got tons of options for you.
1) Gather up some small appliances
We are in desperate need of electric skillets and Foreman Grills for distribution to families living in motels. Most motels have only a small fridge and a microwave- your donations mean that families can have a REAL cooked meal. Can you imagine microwave cheesymac day in and day out? Me either. You can bring donations to HOME's administrative offices (just call first to make sure we'll be here).
2) Click 'n feed
If you're lazy and net savvy like me, you can use the Amazon link on the right hand side of this page to purchase food and appliances and send them directly to HOME (we can provide a receipt confirming the donation as long as we know who it's from). If you use Amazon, they usually run sales on certain brands, where if you spend $50, they take $25 off at checkout. If you do this, you can double your impact!
3) Good old fashioned giving
Grab one buy-one-get-one item each time you go to Publix. You'll have enough food to feed a family in no time.
4) Serve it up
If you're more of a people person, come join us at the Barney E. Veal Center at the Council on Aging. Volunteers are needed from 9AM-1PM to serve food to needy families and frail elders. Call 407-846-8532 to sign up.
Thanks for reading, and happy turkey day! Sphere: Related Content
I saw a story about Free Rice last week on CBS News and thought it was worth sharing. It's a social enterprise-esque site that helps you improve your vocabulary and fight hunger. It's VERY simple. You are given a word and a choice of synonyms for that word. Choose the correct one and BAM, you get 10 grains of rice in your bowl. This translates into real rice that will be distributed by the World Food Program. The cost of the rice is paid for by the advertisers shown at the bottom of the screen. I wonder what happens if you fill your entire bowl? If you manage to get that far, please post a comment and let us all know what happens.
If you're looking to fight hunger locally, look no further. We've got tons of options for you.
1) Gather up some small appliances
We are in desperate need of electric skillets and Foreman Grills for distribution to families living in motels. Most motels have only a small fridge and a microwave- your donations mean that families can have a REAL cooked meal. Can you imagine microwave cheesymac day in and day out? Me either. You can bring donations to HOME's administrative offices (just call first to make sure we'll be here).
2) Click 'n feed
If you're lazy and net savvy like me, you can use the Amazon link on the right hand side of this page to purchase food and appliances and send them directly to HOME (we can provide a receipt confirming the donation as long as we know who it's from). If you use Amazon, they usually run sales on certain brands, where if you spend $50, they take $25 off at checkout. If you do this, you can double your impact!
3) Good old fashioned giving
Grab one buy-one-get-one item each time you go to Publix. You'll have enough food to feed a family in no time.
4) Serve it up
If you're more of a people person, come join us at the Barney E. Veal Center at the Council on Aging. Volunteers are needed from 9AM-1PM to serve food to needy families and frail elders. Call 407-846-8532 to sign up.
Thanks for reading, and happy turkey day! Sphere: Related Content
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