March 2023 - HOPE LIVES HERE

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Annual Client Satisfaction Survey...Results


Every year DOORWAYS conducts an agency wide Client Satisfaction Survey to provide the staff with a unique opportunity to hear the voices of the clients we serve. Clients are asked to rate their interaction with staff, if they are receiving the services they need, have they gained information or knowledge, has their health improved and how do they feel about their future. The anonymous survey is sent out to residents and clients via text messages and emails with a follow-up. Clients who complete the survey are entered into a raffle to win one of two $50 gift cards. Cooper House resident's surveys are distributed in person. The 943 clients surveyed represent the head of household receiving housing assistance who have a phone number or email on file.  



The survey asks respondents to rate nine questions on a 5 point scale. Below are the questions with the score:



  • I feel respected by the staff – 4.5
  • I believe my information is kept confidential – 4.5
  • Staff treat me fairly – 4.5
  • Staff is knowledgeable about resources I need – 4.4
  • Staff helped me access services I need – 4.4
  • I am more hopeful about my future – 4.4
  • I have gained new knowledge and skills – 4.1
  • I have added healthy behaviors – 4.1
  • I am taking my medication consistently – 4.2


Overall, the respondents scored the programs and staff very high with an average score of 4.4 out of 5.

 

A few client quotes:

"You guys have helped me build my future through this time in my life."

"The staff is very kind and thorough. I appreciate the genuine care and concern."

"The encouragement I get is incredible."

"Interfaith has made sure I had a safe place to stay out of the cold."

Allen House - Housing Expanded


The Jefferson Avenue Campus provides expanded space for administration and program offices and is also the location of the Client Service Center and the adjoining 50-unit Allen House, named for one of our founders, Dean J.C. Michael Allen.


Currently, 39 residents occupy 37 units in Allen House, a safe and welcoming environment that provides opportunities for a new and hopeful life. Allen House residents have convenient adjacency to empowerment programs such as Behavioral Health, Career Services, as well as easy access to Care Coordinators. The entire building is designed to have a home-like feel to create a comfortable, accessible, and stress free space full of possibilities.

Spaces and Opportunities within Allen House include:


-Access to regular mail service

-Comfortable community rooms on each floor

-Food Pantry - in collaboration with Food Outreach

-Media Classroom - Career and Learning Opportunities

-Barrier-free access to Behavioral Health Programs

-Structured resident activities such as Meditation, Community Conversations, and

Creative Art Therapy

-A patio and picnic area with BBQ pits

-Token operated Laundry Rooms on each floor

We Appreciate Our Grantors and Funders - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)


DOORWAYS is grateful for the relationships we have with our funders. Funding secured through the public sector is a lifeline to those we serve.


Opal M. Jones, DOORWAYS President & CEO, welcomed officials from the national and regional U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) offices to the new Jefferson Avenue Campus this month. We greatly value our partnership with HUD. Grant awards funded through HUD's Office of HIV/AIDS Housing are vital to our ability to house people struggling with homelessness and affected by HIV. This partnership improves the lives of individuals and also the broader community. With a secure foundation of housing, our clients can manage their HIV medication regimen, which can render the HIV virus untransmittable, stopping new cases of HIV. This opens the door to ending this community health pandemic for future generations.


Thank You HUD!

DOORWAYS welcomed officials from the national and regional HUD offices to the Jefferson Avenue Campus this month. Pictured: Kate Briddell, Office of HIV/AIDS Housing HOPWA Desk officer; Opal M. Jones, President & CEO; Rita Harcrow, Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Housing; Pat Plumley, Chief Program Officer; local St. Louis Field Office Community Planning & Development Representatives, Britta Smith and Dominique Waters; Tammy Laws, Comprehensive Flex Housing Director; and Jim Timmerberg, Director of Development.

DOORWAYS President and CEO, Opal M. Jones serves on The National HIV AIDS Housing Coalition Board (NAHC). Recently, members of the NAHC board gathered in Washington, D.C. where they met with officials from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to advocate for safe and affordable housing for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.  

Friends In Deed


DOORWAYS Friends in Deed are excited to announce the formation of a Core Leadership Group (pictured below) responsible for developing an activities calendar that includes volunteer and fundraising events for the group, as well as, social meet-ups, community events, and networking opportunities.


The calendar for 2023 includes a spring clean-up and replanting at the St. Louis AIDS Memorial Garden at Cooper House in April, promoting Give STL DAY on May 10, partnering with Regions Bank to staff a booth at PRIDE in June, a social event in August and BYOBoo! Trivia in October. They are a busy and engaging group of leaders and supporters.


If you would like to follow what the Friends In Deed group are doing, please join their Facebook Group here.

Joe Gfaller

Metro Theatre Company - Managing Director

Jenny Giudici

Crescent Parts

Colin Keller

Accenture & Board Member

Chris Lintz

Community Volunteer

Tracy Stone

Bank of America - Executive Assistant

Always A Need: Amazon Wishlist


Did you know that DOORWAYS has an Amazon Wishlist to help support the simplest needs of our clients and residents?


Urgent Need - Clients in our Empowerment Programs and the Residential Program need personal Planner Books to help track their appointments, goals, and program work with coordinators. (purchase link here)

 

Donations of cleaning supplies and general household items are always needed:


  • Cleaning products (wipes, cleaning spray, etc.)
  • Hand soap
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Paper towels
  • Toilet paper
  • Dish soap
  • Light bulbs


 

Wishlist items can be purchased and delivered through Amazon or dropped off at the Welcome Center: 1101 N. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106.

 

The Amazon Wishlist makes it easy and convenient for you to make a difference in our resident’s lives. Just click the link or the Amazon Wishlist image to browse and order from our list. Thank you for your continued support!

UPCOMING EVENT INFORMATION

GIVE STL Day


Mark your calendars for Give STL Day on Thursday, May 10, 2023. Give STL Day is a 24-hour on-line day-of-giving event, designed to ignite the spirit of giving across the region. Since its inception in 2014, Give STL Day has raised over $22 million for more than 1,000 regional nonprofits. 


Please plan to participate in this day of giving by sharing the information with your colleagues, friends and family – if 100 people donated $50 each, we would raise $5,000 – enough money to cover utility subsidies for a family for a full year!

Saint Louis AIDS Memorial Garden - Spring Cleanup


Friends In Deed is hosting an Saint Louis AIDS Memorial Garden cleanup and planting event scheduled for Saturday, April 15 @ 9AM. For more information or to sign-up click the link (https://fb.me/e/3ip5OkcxP).

Queen of Hearts Raffle


The Famous Bar, tucked away just a few blocks from the intersection of Chippewa and S. Kingshighway, has designated DOORWAYS as the recipient of 25% of the final jackpot from their Queen of Hearts Raffle*. Raffle tickets are sold every Tuesday from 5:00 – 7:00 PM for $1.00 each, there is no limit to the number of tickets that may be purchased. You must be present to win.


Please visit and support those who support us! 


The Famous Bar

5213 Chippewa Street

St. Louis, MO 63109


*Queen of Hearts Raffle – using a full deck of 52 cards, each card is placed in a numbered envelope displayed on a board. Every Tuesday players can purchase raffle tickets on which they write their name and select a number that corresponds with the numbered envelopes on the board, the raffle tickets are placed in a raffle barrel. At 7:00 PM a raffle ticket is drawn, the person whose ticket is drawn instantly wins $20. The numbered envelope matching the number on the winning ticket is opened, if it’s the Queen of Hearts the winner takes the pot, if not, then all the raffle tickets are disposed of and the game resumes the following Tuesday till the Queen of Hearts is found. You must be present to win.

Thank you for your support throughout the year!

DOORWAYS is an interfaith non-profit organization which provides housing and related supportive services to improve quality of life and health outcomes for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
 DOORWAYS, an IRC 501(c)3 tax-exempt Missouri nonprofit corporation, is registered to solicit funds for charitable purposes in Missouri and Illinois. DOORWAYS only solicits such charitable contributions in MO and IL.