Spring 2009 Newsletter - Holy Family Home and Shelter, Inc.

Holy Family Home
and Shelter, Inc.
1989-2009
20 Years
GRANTS ALLOW FOR SHELTER
UPGRADES
Of Ending
Homelessness
One Family at a
Time
Thanks to grants for our
building, Holy Family
Home and Shelter, Inc
has made some important
improvements for the
safety and well being of
our residents and staff.
The shelter is housed in
an old but historic building which is the predecessor of the current Windham Community Memorial Hospital.
The Connecticut Health
and Education Facilities
Authority (CHEFA) grant
provided the means to
address three upgrades.
The relocation of the
laundry room to the first
floor removes that room
from the vicinity of the
boiler and at the same
time allows mothers to
more easily watch their
small children while doing their laundry.
New sprinkler heads replaced those installed in
the 1950’s.
In the 1950’s. Flushing
s
of the entire sprinkler
system removed debris
accumulated over the
decades.
The third CHEFA project is a security system designed to make
our building safer for
our residents, the majority of whom are small
children. A grant from
the Savings Bank of
Manchester Charitable
Foundation augmented
the project monies so
that additionally needed
cameras could be installed.
Other upgrades to our
building were funded by
the Catholic Foundation
of Norwich, Liberty Bank,
and the Savings Bank of
Manchester Charitable
Foundation.
New windows on part of the 2nd
Winter 2009
Edition
Special points of interest:
Special points of interest:
• CHEFA grant for safety
and security
•
•
•
•
Our new hand washing
sink improves sanitation in
the kitchen.
water damaged, unusable ones.
A new generator for
lights and refrigeration in
case of loss of electricity
will replace the 20 year
old one. The building is
owned by Saint Joseph
Home for the Aged, Inc.
A Tradition of Holiday Outreach
The holidays can be a
tough time for families
who struggle with poverty.
Even for people who have
moved beyond the shelter,
money can still be incredibly tight. In consideration
of these needs, former residents who have lived at
HFHS within the past
year, along with current
participants in the Homes
Plus program, receive
Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets that include a
holiday meal. This year,
cook Shirley Mitchell,
along with food pantry
manager Mrs. Singh, prepared 47 baskets.
Our faithful volunteers
once again organized a
shopping day on December
12th at the First Congregational Church in Willi-
mantic. It was attended by
current and former residents, and HOMES PLUS
clients who have children.
All gifts were completely
free of charge to shoppers.
A wide variety of gifts for all
ages were available, thanks
to the generosity of the community. Current residents
were also thankful to receive many additional gifts
from the community.
Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
• Grants received for
building improvements
and children’s program
Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
• Holiday outreach continues
• New program helps track
the progress of young children in shelter
Inside this issue:
Case Management
Notes
2
Homes Plus Continues to Provide...
2
Special Thank You
2
Education Program
Updates
2
-
Children in Shelters 3
Program
Grants Help to Increase Education...
3
Continuing Needs
4
Page 2
Holy Family Home and Shelter, Inc.
Case Management Notes
Our case management staff includes
Christina Grover, Abnel Navarro,
Patricia Pelatti, and Narendra Ranjeet.
The team works with clients on several
fronts by doing budgeting and action
plans, and advising clients on other
important life issues. Regular meetings between case managers and residents ensure that goals are being met.
Case managers work with residents to
bring stability to their lives by connecting them to numerous service agencies,
work training programs, and housing
options. By connecting with agencies
such as Windham Regional Community
Council, United Services, Sachem
House at Natchaug Hospital, the Shelter Outreach Initiative through Percep-
tions Program, and CT Works, case
managers are able to assist clients with
their various needs. During the 2008
holiday seasons, as in seasons past,
case managers participated in holiday
outreach to former residents.
In April, a grant through the Connecticut Department of Social Services made
it possible for shelter staff to offer outreach services to residents who have
moved on to other places. Participation
in outreach services is completely voluntary, and at this time a total of seven
families have participated out of about
a dozen eligible families.
During the new year, case managers
plan to more finely tune the outreach
program and schedule more in-house
workshops for residents.
Homes Plus Continues to Provide Supportive Housing
Homes Plus is a supportive housing
program providing case management
services to six families and four individuals.
Participants are initially
homeless, and are disabled with verifiable income. Client apartments are
located in Windham and Tolland counties. Homes Plus pays 100% of the rent
directly to landlords, with clients paying a subsidized rental fee to Homes
Plus. The emphasis of the program is
on a) housing retention, b) the development of better independent-living and
life-coping skills, and c) breaking the
cycle of homelessness. Case manageSpecial Thank
You
Volunteer David
O’Connor and
his assistants
have been devotedly working to
make our shelter
a more beautiful
place. Over the
past year, Mr.
O’Connor has
repainted our upstairs hallway and several
rooms, and has waxed badly neglected
floors. His work has added so much to
HFHS. Thank you, David!
“Breaking the cycle of
homelessness”
ment is provided by Floranne Rawolle and Patricia Pelatti.
From its beginning in summer 2005, 22
families and individuals have been
served by the program, including current clients. Rawolle cites several success stories from 2008. Two clients
“graduated” from the program due to
improvements in health and income. A
current client is attending classes fulltime at a community college where she
is working towards a degree in journalism, as well as fighting for return of her
daughter. She has also upgraded to a
better apartment situation. This young
woman has managed her very meager
resources so effectively that she is able
to pay her bills and maintain her own
vehicle—critical in an area with few
public transit options. Most clients
have been in the program more than
one year. Currently one has been with
us for three years, and two have been
with us for two years.
Education Program Updates
The afterschool and vacation program
at HFHS has been very successful
over the past year. Lisa Blume will
be assuming the role as new education
coordinator once Michelle Hier, who
served as full-time education coordinator until summer 2008, departs to
complete her student teaching. Lisa
completed her bachelor’s degree in
sociology this December at Eastern
Connecticut State University, and has
worked in the education program at the
shelter for over three years. Ryan
Froehlich has been a welcome addition to the program staff, and was a key
member of the summer 2008 team. He
is a senior at ECSU, where he majors
in psychology. Lauren Blume returned for several weeks during the
summer to assist with the children’s
program. Alexandra Hepp, a University of
...Continued on page 3
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
Education Program Updates (continued)
Continued from page 2…
performance of Sleeping Beauty
• Visits to the UConn farm animals
• Bowling at WilliBowl
Connecticut graduate student who
lived at the shelter and worked in the
children’s program during her stay,
departed in June 2008 for a crosscountry journey and eventual return to
Germany. She is missed very much for
her creative energy and enthusiasm.
2008 education program highlights
Trips to:
• Mansfield Hollow State Park (where
participants painted watercolors,
and explored vernal pools)
• Green Falls Area, Voluntown
• The Great Escape, Glastonbury
• Lauter Park, Willimantic
• Bluff Point State Park and Project
Oceanology, Groton
• Mystic Aquarium
The children visited the frog pond at
Glastonbury Audubon Sanctuary.
Other Activities:
• Live play performed in the HFHS
playground paired with an outdoor
art show
• Pizza-making at Giovanni’s Pizzeria, Glastonbury
• Sledding and ice skating at University of Connecticut
• A visit from the Easter Bunny
• Attendance at a UConn musical
The afterschool education program
meets daily from 3PM to 4:30PM, and
is aimed at providing our school-aged
residents with the time and space to
complete homework and receive needed
help. Snacks are provided. Children
participate in crafts, trips, and other
activities after homework is completed.
Parents are encouraged to take part in
activities, when space allows. During
school vacation weeks and throughout
the summer, special extended programming is provided to all school-aged children. Some activities are adapted to
accommodate younger children, as well.
Children in Shelters Program
Children in Shelters is a grant program
through Connecticut Coalition to End
Homelessness that began in June 2008.
It was developed to assess the educational, health, and developmental
changes in children ages birth to five
years during their stay at homeless
shelters and during family transition to
Beyond Shelter programs. Agencies
from seven Connecticut communities
are taking part in this initiative, including the Windham collaborative
team of Holy Family Home and Shelter,
Inc. and Windham Regional Commu-
nity Council’s Beyond Shelter Program.
Incoming parents with children five
and under fill out a survey upon entrance to the shelter and provide comments about their children’s education
and health status before moving on to
Beyond Shelter services, where followup on these needs occurs. Although the
focus of the grant is on young children,
it also tracks overall family progress
since the success of the family is inextricably tied to the success of the children.
(www.cceh.org for more info)
“To catch the reader's attention, placean interesting sentenceo r quo tefrom the sto ry here.”
Our new swingset, funded by recent
grants from three organizations.
Grants Help To Increase Resources for Children
The education program has recently
been blessed with generous grants from
The Ray H. and Pauline Sullivan Foundation, Church of the Holy Family of
Hebron, and the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development. These grants
made our summer program possible,
and are helping to fund small trips and
activities during the school year. Some
of the funds were used to purchase a
beautiful new swing set from Kloter
Farms.
The swing set further added to our
improved backyard, giving us greater
visibility and a neater appearance.
Thanks to the hard work of support
staff Garrick Menditto, Dan Choi,
and UConn volunteers, the children
now have a safer and more enjoyable
environment on site. Future plans for
the outdoor area include new swings
for the older frame, new fill for the
sandbox, and an extension of the existing fencing.
A new children’s garden further adds to
the aesthetics of the backyard play
area. Broccoli, shallots, tomatoes, cilantro, and sunflowers are a few things
that were grown by our young gardeners this year.
PO Box 884
88 Jackson Street
Willimantic, CT 06226
Phone: 860-423-7719
Fax: 860-423-3770
[email protected]
g
Visit us on the web at:
www.holyfamilywillimantic.org
Holy Family Home and Shelter, Inc., a non-profit organization, is a 28 bed home and shelter for mothers and children, and fathers who meet certain criteria. Residents, who stay
an average of 60 - 90 days, are provided with 3 meals a day, life skills workshops, case
management, laundry facilities, an education program for children, assistance with permanent housing and employment searches, and referrals to other agencies as needed.
Staff provide residents with support, a safe environment, and professional assistance.
Through case management and workshops we assist our families with the information
they need to rebuild their lives. The shelter works with the families to create budgets,
formulate life plans and encourage further education. Those in need of help with mental
health and/or addiction problems find additional assistance through area programs.
Prospective residents are admitted if they are willing to adhere to shelter rules, follow
curfews, help with daily chores, and participate in mandatory case management.
Holy Family receives a grant from the Department of Social Services, State of Connecticut. Funding also comes from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the towns
of Windham and Mansfield, the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture), and other grantors. Approximately 20% comes from civic, churches,
schools, and individuals, with individual donations comprising the largest amount.
Our Dedicated Staff
Administration
Executive Director: Bonnie Reilein
Admin Assists: Lorraine Wakely,LindaHence
Director of Public Relations: Sister M. Peter
Case Management
Christina Grover
Abnel Navarro
Education Program
Lauren Blume
Lisa Blume
Ryan Froehlich
Michelle Hier
Support Staff
John Kersen
Garrick Menditto
Richard Oat
June Robinson
Selena Thomas
Patricia Pelatti
Narendra Ranjeet
Homes Plus
Floranne Rawolle, coordinator
Patricia Pelatti
Cook and Food Coordinator: Shirley Mitchell
Mrs. Singh, Food Pantry
Grandmothers Illya and Aurea
Work-Study Students
Marc Cheung
Dan Choi
Vickie LaRue
Raymond Niemiec
Kailey Peyton
Many volunteers, especially David
O’Connor, Diane & Anthony Prue,
Tom Klosowski, Maureen Holt, Sue
Dinsmore
Newsletter prepared by:
Sister M. Peter & Michelle Hier
Continuing Needs for Shelter Operations
HFHS, like many other organizations,
is being affected by the current economic times. We have been very fortunate to receive support from people
throughout the community. Currently,
we are in need of the following items:
•
•
•
•
Plastic serving spoons
Color-coded cutting boards
Paper plates, towels, napkins, cups
Plastic tableware
FOOD:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
HOUSEHOLD:
• Brooms
• Twin-size sheets
• Large towels
• Washcloths
• Pillows
• Twin-size pillows
• Blankets
Coffee—regular and instant
Tea
Cocoa
Cereal-non-sugared
Canned fruit
Sugar and flour
Dairy and meat products
Fresh produce
Bread and bagels (wheat,
white ,other)
KITCHEN:
• Plastic pitchers with covers
OFFICE:
• Plain white printing paper
• File folders
• Hanging file folders
• Mailing labels
Mrs. Singh in our food pantry.
Monetary donations are very welcome, and help us to pay for many
needed supplies and services.
Checks can be made out to Holy
Family Home and Shelter, Inc.