We need a few dozen folks like that to step up to the plate in Nashville.
Oh.
I forgot.
The last guy to come to city officials with a generous offer to build 30+ shelters for homeless folks down at Tent City was pretty much told to kick rocks, since no one wanted to accept responsibility (and potential liability, as well I'm sure) for giving the man the go-ahead.
Of course lots of folks had ideas for how he should spend the hundred grand it was going to cost him to place those units at the site, but very few of the ideas helped address the lack of housing facing folks who have been ordered to move out of the camp or who are wandering about from city bench to city bench, at the urging of Metro PD's finest because sleeping isn't allowed on them.
Everywhere one looks, there are barriers facing the homeless.
“Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit.” M. Scott Peck
Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 12:14pm PST
Anonymous donor gives $500,000 to aid local homeless families
Sacramento Business Journal - by Kelly Johnson Staff writer
Community leaders said Tuesday that an anonymous donor has given $500,000 to expand programs for local homeless families, and urged other people to collectively match that amount.
The estate of a longtime community college teacher gave the money early this month to Cottage Housing Inc., a local nonprofit that reunites homeless parents with children returning from out-of-home placement.
Cottage Housing, which oversees 241 residential units at Serna Village in North Highlands and Quinn Cottages in downtown Sacramento, will use most of the gift and matching local donations to double its capacity to 500 bedrooms over the next four years. With the expansion, Cottage Housing will be able to serve about 1,000 homeless people and their families each year. That’s equal to the number of people the nonprofit has served in its first 10 years.
Cottage Housing also will use some of the donation immediately to provide families with holiday gifts. Every program participant who is going on job interviews also will receive a gift certificate for new clothing.
“This gift demonstrates the power of concerned citizens to commit extraordinary acts to make Sacramento a better place to live,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a news release. “I’m so proud of our community, and I hope this ‘Secret Santa’ inspires others to help double this donation and find other ways to give back during the holidays and beyond.”
Community leaders held a news conference and ceremony Tuesday to acknowledge the gift.
Matt Mahood, president and chief executive officer of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, urged business leaders to participate in the local match challenge.
“As more people are facing unemployment and foreclosure, support for homeless programs is needed more than ever,” he said in a news release.
At the event, Cottage Housing announced that Sutter Health Foundation gave a $70,000 grant as the first large gift to leverage the $500,000 anonymous donation.
Cottage Housing wants to focus its expansion on family reunification by supporting the efforts of parents on parole or probation for nonviolent offenses who are in the process of reunifying with children from foster care or other out-of-home placement arrangements.
“This gift could not come at a better time, as statistics show we continue to have a significant challenge in addressing homelessness in our community,” Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson said in a news release. “Especially during the holidays and in the cold of winter, I urge everyone in our community to give to groups like Cottage Housing that have a proven track record of helping the homeless turn their lives around.”
In a “street count” survey, the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance found that 2,678 people are homeless in the county, marking an increase of more than 20 percent between 2005 and 2008.
The number of “unsheltered homeless” increased by 96 percent during this period, the survey found. The agency estimates that Sacramento County has only enough shelter beds for half of its homeless population.
“The words of one of our alumni best capture our mission: ‘We’re moving from tax-taker to tax-maker,’” Robert Tobin, Cottage Housing executive director said in a news release. “This amazing gift launches a program expansion plan that can save taxpayers more than $100 million during our agency’s second decade of operations. Results prove that reuniting families and stabilizing homes are the essentials to turning lives around, and the benefits are enjoyed by the entire community.”
Experience shows, the news release said, that providing permanent housing for homeless people is cheaper than leaving them on the streets or in temporary shelters. Because permanent housing makes homeless people more receptive to services and enables them to regain control over their lives, they are less likely to cycle through expensive emergency services, such as hospital emergency rooms, jails and detox centers.
“This gift will get us closer to the original vision we had when we established Quinn Cottages a decade ago of 1,000 bedrooms for homeless families,” Bishop Francis Quinn said in the news release. “At a time when many charities are receiving fewer donations and scaling back programs, we are blessed to be able to do even more good just when the community needs it most.”
The estate of a longtime community college teacher gave the money early this month to Cottage Housing Inc., a local nonprofit that reunites homeless parents with children returning from out-of-home placement.
Cottage Housing, which oversees 241 residential units at Serna Village in North Highlands and Quinn Cottages in downtown Sacramento, will use most of the gift and matching local donations to double its capacity to 500 bedrooms over the next four years. With the expansion, Cottage Housing will be able to serve about 1,000 homeless people and their families each year. That’s equal to the number of people the nonprofit has served in its first 10 years.
Cottage Housing also will use some of the donation immediately to provide families with holiday gifts. Every program participant who is going on job interviews also will receive a gift certificate for new clothing.
“This gift demonstrates the power of concerned citizens to commit extraordinary acts to make Sacramento a better place to live,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a news release. “I’m so proud of our community, and I hope this ‘Secret Santa’ inspires others to help double this donation and find other ways to give back during the holidays and beyond.”
Community leaders held a news conference and ceremony Tuesday to acknowledge the gift.
Matt Mahood, president and chief executive officer of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, urged business leaders to participate in the local match challenge.
“As more people are facing unemployment and foreclosure, support for homeless programs is needed more than ever,” he said in a news release.
At the event, Cottage Housing announced that Sutter Health Foundation gave a $70,000 grant as the first large gift to leverage the $500,000 anonymous donation.
Cottage Housing wants to focus its expansion on family reunification by supporting the efforts of parents on parole or probation for nonviolent offenses who are in the process of reunifying with children from foster care or other out-of-home placement arrangements.
“This gift could not come at a better time, as statistics show we continue to have a significant challenge in addressing homelessness in our community,” Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson said in a news release. “Especially during the holidays and in the cold of winter, I urge everyone in our community to give to groups like Cottage Housing that have a proven track record of helping the homeless turn their lives around.”
In a “street count” survey, the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance found that 2,678 people are homeless in the county, marking an increase of more than 20 percent between 2005 and 2008.
The number of “unsheltered homeless” increased by 96 percent during this period, the survey found. The agency estimates that Sacramento County has only enough shelter beds for half of its homeless population.
“The words of one of our alumni best capture our mission: ‘We’re moving from tax-taker to tax-maker,’” Robert Tobin, Cottage Housing executive director said in a news release. “This amazing gift launches a program expansion plan that can save taxpayers more than $100 million during our agency’s second decade of operations. Results prove that reuniting families and stabilizing homes are the essentials to turning lives around, and the benefits are enjoyed by the entire community.”
Experience shows, the news release said, that providing permanent housing for homeless people is cheaper than leaving them on the streets or in temporary shelters. Because permanent housing makes homeless people more receptive to services and enables them to regain control over their lives, they are less likely to cycle through expensive emergency services, such as hospital emergency rooms, jails and detox centers.
“This gift will get us closer to the original vision we had when we established Quinn Cottages a decade ago of 1,000 bedrooms for homeless families,” Bishop Francis Quinn said in the news release. “At a time when many charities are receiving fewer donations and scaling back programs, we are blessed to be able to do even more good just when the community needs it most.”
