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Feature- A New Hope for Homelessness

Feature

by Betsy McGovern-Garcia

A new hope for homelessness
By: Betsy McGovern-Garcia, President of the Kings/Tulare Continuum of Care and Project Manager for the Tulare Redevelopment Agency

With the many organizations working in our community to help those in need, the challenge of homelessness can seem a bit less intimidating.  There will always be those individuals that are a challenge to assist, and we still have a long way to go in addressing the variety of needs associated with homelessness, but the collaboration and coordination demonstrated in 2009 is evidence of the fact that we, as a community, are willing to stand up and fight for those that are less fortunate and struggling.  These partnerships and sense of community makes me proud, and I am hopeful that we can continue this momentum into 2010, and find new and improved ways to reach out and assist those in need.
The problem of homelessness, many say, is an unsolvable problem. Communities across the county have struggled with getting homeless people off the street by building shelters, transitional housing, and soup kitchens.  However, Kings and Tulare Counties have taken a proactive approach to the homelessness issue and are actively pursuing resources to offer permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition, these organizations are seeking funds to support important services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care.

The Kings/Tulare Continuum of Care, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness in Kings and Tulare counties, had a number of successful events in 2009 that helped further our mission to assist those that are experiencing homelessness.  In addition, there were a number of notable accomplishments by our partner agencies, who are in the community working to assist those in need.

Ø    On November 5, 2009, the CoC successfully hosted the 2nd annual Project Homeless Connect (PHC) event. PHC events were hosted in Hanford, Porterville and Visalia, and combined served over 800 individuals.  There were 1,237 articles of clothing distributed, 145 DMV ID cards were provided for free, 1,162 meals were served, and over 500 people received some type of medical services.  This event would not be possible without our partners, and we are very thankful for their support and continued dedication.
Family Services opened the Bella Oaks 4-plex for transitional housing for the homeless in Tulare.  It was purchased with a State of California Housing Bond loan and HUD funds were secured for operations and client services.   The HUD funds will also be used to rent four additional apartments for transitional housing.  Family Services was also one of six programs in the State of California to be selected to receive transitional housing funding (stimulus act funds) from the Office of Violence against Women in the Department of Justice, which will enable Family Services to maintain operations at a three-plex apartment complex and rent 12 additional apartments for victims of domestic violence. (For more information www.fatc.net)

Ø    The Kings/Tulare Continuum of Care secured non-profit status as a 501c3 organization.  This achievement will solidify the organizations ability to secure resources for the community, and further our goals in supporting local organizations to combat homelessness.  Annually, the CoC is the lead in the HUD funding competition for agencies to assist homeless, which resulted in $1,147,292 of funding for local organizations in 2008-2009.

Ø    The rise of homeless individuals and families at the St. Johns River encampment in Visalia brought a surge of awareness and support for homeless assistance in 2009.  Many community members are frustrated by the lack of available housing for couples, which has resulted in efforts by multiple churches, the City of Visalia, and other local non-profit service providers to identify new types of housing for couples and others in need.  Although new housing has not been acquired at this point, the CoC was able to connect many of the residents at the encampment with services, and the outreach effort, led by Tulare County Sheriffs and Health & Human Services staff, demonstrated tremendous local coordination and partnership in the effort to address homelessness.

Homelessness is a tough issue, and 2009 was especially challenging due to the downturn in the economy, including the rise in unemployment and foreclosure rates.  So often, we hear the negatives associated with homelessness.  The large encampment at the St. Johns River, insufficient shelter beds for those in need, or a lack of funding available for rental assistance and other needed services.  I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the positive accomplishments in 2009, in the hopes that we can continue to embrace the homeless in our community and carry the momentum into 2010.

For more information about the Continuum of Care, or to find out what you can do to help, please contact: info@kingstularecoc.org.  Donations are always appreciated, are tax-deductible, and can be mailed to: K/T Continuum of Care, P.O. Box 1742, Visalia, CA 93279.

“Don’t spend your precious time asking ‘Why isn’t the world a better place?’  It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is ‘How can I make it better?’ To that there is an answer.”
~~ Leo Buscaglia