Homelessness Awareness Week

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

November
19

As the country commemorates National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, there is a renewed call to fight poverty. It’s appropriate that this observation occurs each year just before Thanksgiving, a time when people think about what they are thankful for and a time when more people reach out to the disadvantaged to provide them with help and hope.

The annual observance is co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. More than 500 schools, communities and cities participate by bringing greater awareness to the issues of hunger and homelessness through various events and activities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates there are approximately 664,414 people in this country who are homeless each night. This week marks a time for the nation to work together in an effort to end hunger and homelessness. There is strength in numbers. Organizers want participants to hold events such as sleep outs on college campuses, educational forums on hunger and homelessness, fasts, community service days, and fundraising drives. There’s a lot that you can do to bring these issues to the forefront of people’s minds.

So what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? A steady job? Good health? Family and friends? Whatever it may be, in the spirit of the holiday, reach out and help those less fortunate this holiday season and let others know that we are all responsible for making this a better world for everyone. And remember the three A’s: Awareness, Advocacy and Action!

A Commitment to our Veterans

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

November
11

As the nation pauses this week to acknowledge and celebrate our veterans, I’d like to encourage everyone to make a commitment to help put an end to homelessness among veterans. Sadly, many of the men and women who risked their lives for our freedom are now faced with perhaps the biggest battle of their lives. They are homeless and suffering from mental illness. Others are on the brink of losing their jobs and homes. Veterans returning from the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars are having a difficult time finding employment, which results in an increase in the number of young, homeless veterans.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), 23 percent of the country’s homeless population are veterans. In order to end this crisis, veterans must have easy access to numerous programs, services and benefits. Here at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), we have special support programs in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that help homeless male and female veterans get back on their feet. The veterans receive all of the necessary services to escape this downward spiral: housing, food, medical and psychological care, substance abuse treatment, job training, and educational opportunities.

There are several efforts underway to reduce the incidence of homelessness among veterans of the armed forces. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ entire mission is to end veteran homelessness by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers. President Barack Obama’s Administration led the charge this summer when the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness released a comprehensive plan — “Opening Doors” — to end homelessness among veterans by 2015. The VA has committed to providing resources for this initiative.

It is heartbreaking to see a person who has given his or her blood and life for all of our well being end up with no place to go. Our heroes deserve dignity and respect.

Homeless for the Holidays

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

November
5

Now that Halloween has passed, many people are getting into a “holiday state of mind.” Christmas lights and decorations are already erected in some neighborhoods and retail stores have their holiday merchandise on display. You may be starting to plan your holiday meals and parties. And you may be starting to panic, realizing we only have a few weeks before Thanksgiving arrives and less than two months until Christmas.

Time is also running out for agencies like mine — the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) — that desperately need donations and resources to make the holidays brighter for the homeless and disadvantaged. Can you believe that we will serve more than 300,000 hearty meals this season to people in the Detroit area? When you multiply that number by all of the rescue missions, shelters and soup kitchens across the country, you get an astounding number of meals that are prepared for the nation’s needy during the holidays. And we all need your support and generosity.

Those in need could be your neighbors. They could be your relatives. And they could be your colleagues and friends. Hunger and homelessness know no boundaries. Anyone can be impacted by a bad economy, unemployment, home foreclosures, and broken marriages.

As you go about planning your holiday celebrations over the coming weeks, please keep these individuals and families in your thoughts and prayers. Holidays are a lonely time for the homeless and hopeless. That’s why DRMM and other agencies do whatever it takes to give them great Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and a home for the holidays.

Homeless Flock to Ann Arbor

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

October
28

A recent Detroit News report stated that Ann Arbor, Michigan is dealing with an influx of homeless people who have come to the city for refuge over the past several years. The increase is being attributed to Ann Arbor’s longtime reputation for being a city that embraces the poor. There are numerous social service agencies in the city, and University of Michigan students tend to be more generous toward the homeless who ask for money.

So what does this increase in the number of homeless mean for Ann Arbor? According to the Detroit News article, the police chief says panhandling was a huge problem this summer and he considers it the “Number one crime.” The city’s 75-bed homeless shelter has instituted a county residency requirement to discourage outsiders. To be admitted, the person’s last stable home address must be in Washtenaw County. And homeless tent camps have been erected by the “outsiders”— homeless individuals from other parts of Michigan.

It’s definitely an interesting situation. The homeless reportedly like Ann Arbor because of easy access to shelter, food, medical services and temporary job opportunities. Meanwhile, complaints have mounted from business owners and residents, and U of M students are being encouraged to give donations to organizations that help the homeless rather than to individuals.

At the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), we service people from all over, as do many homeless shelters in big cities. It doesn’t matter where they are from or where they lived last. We offer services that will help put the disadvantaged on the path to long term success, such as health care, job placement assistance, and vocational training. And of course, we provide for their immediate needs: food, shelter and clothing.

But the homeless apparently perceive that a smaller city, like Ann Arbor, is safer and receives more federal, state and local funding for social services. Regardless of the number of resources, the most important thing to remember is that we all must be good neighbors and provide the most comprehensive assistance possible to give hope to the homeless and needy.

World Homeless Day

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

October
18

October 10, 2010 was a special day on the calendar because it denoted the one time that we can refer to: 10/10/10. There was much fanfare and media coverage about the date, as thousands of couples got married on what is believed to be a lucky day.

But there was something else happening on 10/10/10 that you probably didn’t hear much about. It marked the first World Homeless Day. The purpose is to draw attention to the needs of homeless people in your community and find ways to get involved and help.

The homeless numbers around the country are staggering: On any given night, there are an estimated 3.5 million homeless people in the U.S. And that number continues to rise as a result of an economic recession, job layoffs and home foreclosures.

The organizers behind World Homeless Day encouraged everyone to support local charities that help the homeless and to partner with schools, churches, service clubs, news outlets, and businesses to brainstorm ideas for fundraising and awareness projects. On the global front, organizers are offering to share great ideas with other countries in a collective effort to help the homeless.

It’s great to have an international day to focus attention on homelessness. But we need to be in a “World Homeless Day” frame of mind every day. Not just on the 10th day of the 10th month of the year. We live it every day here at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), where thousands of men, women and children seek shelter. Ask yourself, how are you making a difference in the lives of the homeless?

Punished for Helping the Homeless

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

October
13

There was an article published recently on Foxsports.com that left me in disbelief. It stated that a high school coach in the Orlando, Florida area was suspended for housing one of his homeless student football players. According to the Orlando Sentinel and wftv.com, the coach moved the player in with him. However, the school considered that a violation of a Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rule that prohibits school employees and athletic staff from promising or offering potential athletes in their program free or reduced-cost rent for housing. The school self-reported the violation and suspended the coach for one game, while the player is being held from games until a ruling is made by the FHSAA. Both the coach and school run the risk of being fined and the potential forfeiture of previous victories.

It appears to me the coach was following his heart and doing the right thing for the youth. What would have been the alternative? Allow him to live on the streets? Ironically, last year’s movie, “The Blind Side,” depicted a similar true story of a homeless teen taken in by a family who helps him succeed in school and on the football field. This heartfelt movie was a huge hit at the box office.

But the Florida story isn’t shaping up to have a happy ending. To be fair to the Osceola County School District, its regulations state the district will work with any homeless or displaced students — and employees should not get involved. And yes, there are thousands of agencies across the country like mine — Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) — that provide shelter, clothing and food for those with no where to go. We don’t turn anyone away.

So, the question remains: Should the Florida high school coach have referred his homeless student athlete to the school district for help, rather than stepping in to provide him with a home? What do you think?