|
REACH News
June 2022
Housing is a Human Right
|
|
The Board extends a special thank you to the students from McQuaid High School who assisted John Curran in cleaning up our shelter's basement. These students spent the day organizing and packing clothing for storage as we close the shelter for this season. We are grateful for the many volunteers who support our mission!
|
|
Pictured above are some of the students who donated their time and energy to help close the shelter.
On behalf of our Tiny Homes Village team, we'd also like to thank our tenacious volunteer, John Curran, for his continued work cleaning up the overgrowth on the Clarence Park property. After singlehandedly removing 180 contractor bags of vegetation and trash, he was joined by a neighbor on Backus Street earlier this month.
|
|
In addition, we recently had three groups of volunteers from The Church of Latter-Day Saints participate in the community service portion of their Humanitarian XP Summit. These volunteers continued the clean-up and spread grass seed on the newly cleared areas.
Last week, the City took note of the activity and showed up with heavy equipment to help clear the dense overgrowth on the north end of the property.
A big thanks to everyone who participated in this effort. The results of their monumental effort are shown in the photos captured here.
|
|
Volunteer Opportunity:
REACH is looking for a volunteer website developer who has experience working with WordPress. If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact Sarah at [email protected].
|
|
Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rahm Emanuel, while Chief of Staff during the Obama Administration, once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” The REACH Shelter Team seized on that concept during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In response to this health crisis, REACH along with House of Mercy, MC Collaborative, Monroe County Emergency Housing, and Open Door Mission moved over 100 chronically homeless individuals with underlying health conditions into hotel rooms. This happened rapidly at the beginning of the Pandemic. By April of 2021, there were roughly 125 individuals in hotel rooms being served by staff and social workers from the agencies involved.
|
|
This rapid reaction to the dangers the pandemic posed for homeless individuals, especially those with underlying health conditions living in congregate-style settings, proved to be a truly exceptional preventative measure. There was only one known positive COVID-19 case over roughly a year and a half (25,000 bed nights). From a healthcare perspective, it was clear that sheltering people in individual rooms was a huge protective factor regarding communicable disease spread. That alone made sheltering people in individual rooms a great success, but there were secondary gains, as well.
|
|
It quickly became apparent that individual rooms also helped accommodate various mental health symptoms and helped motivate people to want their own apartments again. People facing serious symptoms of stress, anxiety, trauma, etc. were able to use their own space as one of their symptom management strategies.
Often times in emergency shelters, people meet with a social worker, or staff, when they have acute symptoms. Once those meetings conclude, the person is able to regain a sense of control, but then is sent back into a busy, sometimes hectic, community living situation. The symptoms often return quickly. In the individual room model, there is space to manage symptoms.
|
|
The private space also helps people become more comfortable with being in their own space again. Homelessness is often a community-based way of living, from meal programs to shelters, to small group encampments, people are often among lots of other people. Having the time to live in a private space, but also have a communal space option, i.e. dining and social areas, makes the transition into permanent housing much smoother.
The Pandemic has been a tragic and difficult time for the world. The shelter team is grateful to have found some light during dark times. REACH will continue to shelter the homeless in the Rochester Community, but we will strive to do it in an individual room style, when possible. This crisis was certainly not wasted.
|
|
Our Request for Proposal Has Been Posted
The City posted the Request for Proposal for the purchase of the property. In collaboration with City Roots Community Land Trust, we submitted the required materials last week. We hope to hear from the City early next month.
|
|
Completing the concept (draft) site plan was part of the RFP process. The plan includes twelve rental units, the manager’s unit, and a community center. Amenities include a community garden, bike lockers, and off-street parking. View the site plan here. Pictured here are some heavy equipment, and construction vehicles at our site.
Your questions and comments are welcome. Please email [email protected] or call (585) 364-1709.
|
|
Help Wanted - Freelance Grant Writer
Tiny Homes is looking for a freelance grant writer. With the addition of five units to the community and significant increases in construction costs, our budget has substantially increased. We will need to apply for both private foundations and government funds. The hours will be flexible but frequently involve deadlines.
If you or someone you know is interested in this position, please email your resume and rates to [email protected].
|
|
Thank You, Founders!
One of our Founders made an additional $4,000 contribution this month. Thank you, Theresa M., for your generous donation.
Individual donors have been the largest source of our fundraising efforts, with over $75,000 received to date. Your faith in the Tiny Home vision and acquiring the property will lead to larger grants from foundations in the coming months.
If you or someone you know would like the honor of building one of our tiny homes, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
|
|
News from the Advocacy Team
|
|
First and foremost, we want to wish our chair of the committee, Rudy Rivera, a speedy recovery from his hip surgery! The Advocacy Team continues to meet every other Wednesday and we welcome you to join us. If you’re interested in attending, let Rudy know at [email protected].
|
|
Collaborating with the City-Wide Tenant Union
We have been in collaboration with the City-Wide Tenant Union. Their representative, Liz McGriff, will join us as we meet with City Building Administrator, Kurt Martin, to talk about the recent increase in funding for hiring additional code enforcement personnel. We want to clarify the following concerns with Mr. Martin:
|
|
- Will the City be training and hiring young men and women from the city?
- Will the City make public the ratings of infractions showing those that are a danger to health and safety as the most important?
- What are the procedures for tenants when they are dealing with a landlord who fails to take care of health and safety violations?
- Is there a link between a Certificate of Occupancy and health and safety violations?
|
|
Update on the House Our Neighbors with Dignity Campaign
|
|
Congratulations to the Homeless Union of NYC for their successful House Our Neighbors with Dignity campaign (HONDA /A6262B) now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Our VOCAL Collaborators succeeded in getting funding for the whole state.
|
|
Keeping Up with the NYS Legislative Agenda and Housing Justice
|
|
In Our Bookshelf this Month:
|
|
We're reading Michael Duneier's "Ghetto: The Invention of a Place, the History of an Idea," published in 2016.
From the author’s preface:
Today “The Ghetto…is better understood as a space for the intrusive social control of poor blacks. As such, many of the ideas about the ghetto that emerged at the time of World War II may be more relevant than ever” (xii).
|
|
Thank you to our readers!
We are grateful for your continued support of REACH Advocacy, Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|