On Thursday, May 23rd, ten homeless individuals and families gathered at the First United Methodist Church of Upland/Stone Soup Ministries to get help with exiting life on the streets. Over the last six weeks, OUR Homeless service partners have worked in collaboration with San Bernardino County staff to assist over two dozen west end homeless households apply for specialized housing vouchers available through the County’s “Project H.O.P.E.”

Project H.O.P.E., a collaboration between the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health and the Housing Authority of San Bernardino County, along with community partners, is set-up to assist homeless and disabled individuals and families to transition into permanent housing. Efforts are comprehensive and recovery based with a strategic aim to provide a variety of services that can include housing support, case management, counseling, access to medical, dental and vision care, peer support and group socialization for program participants that will enrich their lives and facilitate stable and successful tenancy.

“This resource is an answer to our prayers in support of our neighbors without roofs,” stated a long-time volunteer of Stone Soup Ministries, and OUR Homeless partner.

OUR Homeless working together with a number of our faith-based partners and service partners, including Stone Soup Ministries, has helped Project H.O.P.E. facilitate over two dozen housing applications. These service partners include Stone Soup Ministries (First United Methodist of Upland), Mariposa Community Services, TTT Community Recovery, Inc. and MHS STRIVE Holistic Campus, among others. Once qualifying households receive their new housing vouchers, additional OUR Homeless faith-based and service partners will be engaged to assist them with securing stable rental housing within the community and provide other support to our newly housed neighbors

For more information on the OUR Homeless Housing Initiatives Team and how you can help or become engaged in this program, please contact Don Smith at donsmith@urban-initiatives.org

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San Bernardino County’s homeless population decreased 19 percent over 2011 numbers, with a bolstering of housing assistance programs at the federal and local level partly attributed to the decline, officials said.

Of the 2,321 homeless persons counted, more than three-fourths of them, 1,821 or 78 percent, were counted within seven cities: San Bernardino, Fontana, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville and Upland. The seven cities also comprised 74 percent of the county’s homeless shelter population and nearly 100 percent of persons counted in transitional housing, according to the San Bernardino County 2013 Homeless Count and Subpopulation Survey released Monday.

An influx of housing assistance programs implemented by various local nonprofits and other philanthropic organizations including the Salvation Army, Time for Change Foundation and the Central City Lutheran Mission has contributed to the decline, said Kent Paxton, vice chairman of the county’s Interagency Council on Homelessness.

“We’ve made some real progress in developing those housing resources and getting folks off the street, but we still have a fair mount of work to do,” Paxton said. “Our providers, which are a really big part of the solution to the homeless program here, have really stepped up to the plate. “

Of the county’s 24 incorporated cities, San Bernardino led the charge with 908 homeless people counted – more than three times the amount of Victorville, which had the second highest homeless count, 292, of the county’s cities, according to the study.

The primary cause of homelessness, Paxton said, is poverty, which can be attributed to San Bernardino’s high numbers.

“If you look at the census data, we are the second poorest city in the nation next to Detroit,” Paxton said, adding that 47 percent of city residents are on welfare, food stamps, Medi-Cal or all three, and 38 percent are living at or below the poverty level.

He said the city of San Bernardino houses 10 percent of the county’s population but 40 percent of its homeless population, and a number of those living on the streets have previously served time in a county jail or state prison.

“Which means on any given day there are a number of folks out there who are one step away from homelessness,” Paxton said.

More than 400 volunteers participated in the count on Jan. 24. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires biennial homeless counts from communities that receive HUD funding.

The study offered several recommendations to address the county’s 10-year strategy to end chronic homelessness, including adopting baseline numbers and establishing annual reduction benchmarks, developing a zero-tolerance policy for children living on the streets, in vehicles, and other places not meant for human habitation, and increasing the number of permanent housing units for the homeless.

Kim Carter, founder and executive director of the Time for Change Foundation in San Bernardino, has helped more than 600 homeless women and their children find permanent housing since she started her nonprofit in 2002.

But she’s wary of the accuracy of the homeless counts and the federal government’s requirements that the counts be conducted after 10 p.m.

“If you’re living under a tree and see people coming at you with a flashlight, are you ready to answer questions?” Carter said. “Based on the federal mandate to count the homeless, the county is doing the best it can with what it’s got. “

Accurate data, Carter said, is crucial when it comes to providing the essential services for the homeless.

“This data is going to be what’s used to attract federal dollars to our county, so if this data is skewed it’s going to unfortunately minimize our ability to attract resources here for this population,” Carter said.

Tom Kanavos, founder and CEO of the Turrill Transitional Assistance Program, is another example of someone who has worked doggedly to take homeless people off the street. He has been providing housing for homeless military veterans in the Inland Empire since 2001.

He is currently building two homes in Muscoy for homeless veterans referred to his program through the VA. It will provide a safe haven veterans can call home after spending their days undergoing treatment or counseling.

“It will be very well-structured. They will have food and housing,” said Kanavos, adding that the homes will be staffed with a clinical director and case workers on a rotational basis.

Read the full article at Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Supporters of a newly formed coalition of faith-based and community service organizations are targeting homelessness in the Inland Valley.

The group is called OUR Homeless and the idea is that there is strength in numbers.

It’s going to take numbers to help since the nonprofit wants to promote solutions to help eliminate homelessness in this part of San Bernardino County. OUR Homeless is jumping into the mix in a big way. It is hosting an upcoming summit, and the community is invited.

The program is called “Faith In Action: Solving Homelessness Together” and is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 2 at Life Bible Fellowship Church, 2426 N. Euclid Ave., Upland.

Participation is free but registration is asked so organizers can prepare. There will be exhibit. A continental breakfast will be served at 8a.m.

A highlight of the morning will be a presentation by Philip Mangano, who was appointed a national “homeless czar” in 2002 by President George W. Bush. Mangano served as executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for seven years, earning him a place on Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” of 2007.

Local advocates are excited about the program and efforts to help. The program will bring together clergy, congregations, homeless support and advocacy programs, and people who want to help end homelessness in our community,” said Bill Cortus of Thrivent Financial in Ontario and a program supporter.

In fact, Thrivent is sponsoring the event.

OUR Homeless is a working group of pastors, nonprofit leaders, community volunteers and just plain folk who want to help. Together, they started talking about doing something concrete and formed this network. This Faith In Action Summit is the group’s official launch in its effort to engage the community.

“OUR stands for Ontario, Upland and Rancho Cucamonga but our network also includes Chino, Chino Hills and Montclair. OUR has a double meaning of course as we promote the fact that we are trying to find solutions to homeless challenges for our neighbors and others from our communities in need of help and support,” said Don Smith of Urban Initiatives and another supporter. “Frankly, it started about a year and a half ago with one person, Karen Althaus, who wanted to make a real difference and engage her church and others of faith in helping the homeless. She then began a journey of discovery to find there are a lot of good people and organizations working to help the homeless but few were actually working together or even knew what others were doing in their backyard.”

Smith said solving homelessness is possible if the community can marshal its efforts.

“And we can do it with the same funding, resources, and energy presently being applied to people randomly ricocheting through community systems that help people manage and survive homelessness, and do it more effectively and efficiently. We hope that anyone in the community interested in being a part of the solutions to homelessness will join us at the Summit and beyond,” he said.

One simple solution seemed to be to meet and come together as a solid unit.

“We hope to engage more people in the national movement to prevent and end homelessness. Simply put, we intend to link the talents, energy and resources of people who want to be a part of the solution to good ideas and good programs that work to help solve people’s homeless situations,” Smith said. “We don’t need to re-invent the wheel. We simply need to connect good people to good programs that work to help people exit life on the streets and achieve self-sufficiency.”

Althaus is thrilled with the results to date. Some of those she calls her “sidekicks” in this effort are Cortus, Smith, Ron Weissman and Pastor Gary Keith of Life Bible Fellowship Church; Pastor Steve Smith of Upland Brethren in Christ; Janene Brunette of Upland Methodist Church; Leif Ozier and Valerie Valenzuela of Catholic Charities; and Judy Saul of Mercy House.

“Not only do we as a movement want to connect people, volunteers and congregations with the organizations already serving but we want to be a resource for people to turn to for networking and we want to work on creating affordable housing initiatives for families, individuals and those at risk of homelessness. We believe the faith-based community will be a great resource to get these types of goals accomplished,” Althaus said.

Again, the upcoming program is free. To find out more about it and to register, go to www.faithinaction01.eventbrite.com.

Read the article on Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
suzanne.sproul@inlandnewspapers.com

• Understanding the nature and extent of the current trends in homelessness in
  Upland
• Responding to the unmet needs and gaps in services for homeless individuals
  and families in Upland
• Developing local community strategies to meet the goal of eradicating
  homelessness in this community over the coming years.

The homeless count revealed that there are 159 persons who are homeless in the City
on a given day consisting of 115 (72%) adults and 44 (28%) children that make-up 110
households. Of these persons, 92 or 58% were unsheltered, and 67 or 42% were
sheltered in emergency shelter and transitional housing programs.

Of the 115 adults encountered:

• 73 (63%) were male and 42 (37%) were female
• 57 (49%) were White, 24 (21%) were Latino, 21 (18%) were African American, 3
  (3%) were Asian and 3 were Native American and 7 (6%) were identified as
  other
• 30 (26%) were between the ages of 50-61, 29 (25%) were between 40-49, 27
  (24%) were between 30-39, 11 (10%) were between 25-29 and another 11
  between 18-24 and 6 (5%) were between 62-69
• 33 (29%) had children living with them.

Results of the homeless survey revealed the following subpopulation information for unsheltered adults:

1. 61% are chronically homeless
2. 41% have physical disabilities;
3. 39% are substance abusers;
4. 37% have chronic health conditions;
5. 30% were released from a correctional institution during the 12 months prior to the survey;
6. 22% are victims of domestic violence;
7. 20% are veterans;
8. 17% have mental health issues;
9. 13% have developmental disabilities.

Other survey findings for unsheltered adults included:

10. 72% consider themselves a resident of Upland and 78% of those who consider themselves a resident have two or more specific ties to this community
11. 24% work part-time and 6% work full-time;
12. 30% have no monthly income;
13. 28% stated that the primary reason they became homeless was due to personal reasons that largely included divorce, domestic violence, and death of a spouse or parents; 15% stated as a result of loss of job; and 11% stated as a result of an injury and/or disability

Check out the Full Report Here!