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February 2009 Archive of News and MusingsFriday, February 06, 2009 If you'd like to get involved in helping to plan or prepare for the event, contact Heather Kelly, Director of Development at hkelly@bha-pa.org or (717) 233-6016. If you like to sponsor the event, check out the variety of sponsorship packages available (PDF, 86kb) in our anniversary year. Check our Events page throughout the year for more details on our Banquet as they become available as well as other events. Posted by Steve Schwartz (2/6/2009 1:01:21 AM | link) Friday, February 06, 2009
Posted by Steve Schwartz (2/6/2009 12:38:43 AM | link) Friday, February 06, 2009 The Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness was an organizing force for this project: a collaborative effort between Christian Churches United, multiple downtown churches and The City of Harrisburg. Funding was received from a variety of public and private sources (see this press release for more details). For several years, a group of downtown churches have been taking turns opening their doors over the winter so people living on the street can get out of the cold at night. One night last February, I volunteered at Market Square Presbyterian Church and saw this effort in action. These churches are being true ministers of the gospel by going out of their way to love their neighbors. As I write this, I'm sitting in my warm house with a blanket over my shoulders because I'm still chilly inside. Its midnight and 13 degrees outside. I can't imagine people sleeping outside in this weather. The members of these churches couldn't either, so they did something about it...partnering together and making space in their churches available...rotating from one church to another each month from December to March. But the accomodations weren't ideal, and that is where Susquehanna Harbor comes in. By next winter, Christian Churches United will be managing this building, with 40 low demand shelter beds for overnight use in the colder months. Low demand in this context means "there are few demands" made of people wanting to spend the night...i.e. there aren't lots of rules or mandatory activities. There is a new philosophy in working with the chronically homeless--i.e. those living on the street, often with mental health and/or drug and alcohol issues--and that is to get them into housing first, and then, over time, encourage them to get the other help and services they need (such as drug and alcohol counseling or mental health services). Many are fiercely independent and the immediate rules and requirements of many programs would hinder them from getting in out of the cold, so they'd keep living on the street never getting the help they need. So this 40 bed shelter will still be staffed by volunteers from these churches, but they'll have a space designed for this use, rather than makeshift space in various church basements. There will also be other services available onsite. And one of the most exciting parts of this project is that in addition to the overnight shelter, there will be 25 long-term permanent housing rooms for single men, targeted at the chronically homeless population. All in all, this is an exciting new effort in Harrisburg, and a program the Federal government will be watching closely and hopefully using as a model for other communities. As I stood for one hour in the extreme cold in the middle of the day for this groundbreaking ceremony and could barely handle it, the importance of this new shelter was made all the more real for those who would otherwise be forced to spend nights on the street in this weather. (all photos below courtesy of Kelly Wiant-Thralls)
Posted by Steve Schwartz (2/6/2009 12:18:37 AM | link) News and Musings Archive |
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Mark your calendars for BHA's 20th Anniversary Celebration Banquet: September 15, 2009. We've just confirmed that 
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