Sept. 8, 2012
With the end of July, two years are in the books since we opened the doors of New Hope Shelter and Transitional Housing! Our second year has been a time of growth, learning, and expansion. It has been an exciting and stressful year filled with both challenges and rewards. We are again looking back at where we started, what we could have done better and how we can improve what we do for the next few years. We are thinking and praying about those who have stayed with us this last year and hoping that they allow Him to work in their lives to soften their hearts to accept the forgiveness only He can offer.
Some of our year-end totals/numbers Aug. 2011 – Aug. 2012:
This year we provided 1,490 nights of shelter, a little lower than last years’ 1,757 nights of shelter.
- YTD 3,422 nights of shelter.
- This year we served 32 individuals including 15 single men, 12 single women and 2 families, 19 less than last year
- YTD we have served 87 people total, 38 single men, 17 single women and 10 families (32 people)
- This year we have received approximately 105 calls from people looking for shelter, just a few less than last years’ 114.
- YTD 73% of our residents checked-out successfully finding help with things like employment, education, housing, etc.
- YTD 27% were walk-outs, electing not to complete the program
- This year we averaged approx. 4 residents per night.
- The average length of stay was about 47 days, up from last years’ 34 days.
- This year we have had 10 people stay the entire 90 days, last year we had 3.
- YTD we have had 13 people stay the entire 90 days.
- We have had up to eleven people here at one time.
- We have helped people transitioning from jail, rehab, and probation/parole providing a stable supervised place from which they could find employment and seek housing.
- We have expanded and maintained a great working relationship with the other service providers in our community to help families find the assistance and resources they need to move forward with stabilizing their lives.
- This year we have logged over 15,000 miles helping transport residents to doctor appointments, court dates, or even just to the grocery store.
Program Updates:
This year we implemented a number of changes and additions to our Emergency Shelter program:
We’ve expanded into a Transitional Housing program, signing a year-long lease for 2, 1 bedroom apartments here in Crandon. We have had 4 residents in this program and it has been an incredible compliment to our existing 90 day shelter plan, providing our residents that do well in our emergency shelter program the added flexibility of additional time to stabilize their lives. We also utilize these apartments as overflow or for special needs situations when residence in the main shelter isn’t possible. They have hardly been empty since we began in Jan 2012.
- We’ve contracted with outside help to handle some of our case management needs and to meet the administrative requirements of our state grants. This splits the workload and helps our residents get the attention to detail that they need.
- We’ve taken on additional staff and volunteers in the office this last year, working with the Tribal AmeriCorps program for last year (2011-2012) and we are signed up for another year that began September 1st and goes until Aug.31st 2013.
We continue to address a previously un-met need here in our community providing emergency shelter, case management and transitional housing where none existed.
While some of our numbers have gone up from last year, like transportation miles (over 15,000), other numbers have gone down like shelter nights and total residents. The biggest change in our numbers comes from families that have either been here or not been here. In 2010-2011 we had 7 families, with many children. In 2011-12 we had only 2 families and 1 child. 2012-2013 marks the beginning of our third year and we have had 2 families and 4 children in the first month (9 resident’s total). Another number that I think is interesting is average length of stay. This last year a higher percentage of our residents checked-out of the program rather than walked-out, which means they have been willing to follow their plan to fruition rather than give up and walk away, back into a life of instability.
Our emergency shelter budget grew slightly last year, mostly due to vehicle repairs, maintenance and fuel costs. We were also blessed with the opportunity to expand our programming into transitional housing, and with the benefit of a state grant, increase our case management time and depth, contracting with help from a direct-service social worker.
Those are the hard figures and statistics, and sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers. The reality is that we are in a relational ministry, dealing in-depth with people, establishing a relationship while they are at their most vulnerable (and stressed). Some of our residents checked-out with a job and an apartment and well on their way to stability, while others checked-out with not much more than they checked-in with. Sometimes we have to understand that our role in a persons’ life may be limited to a temporary influence, and all we can do is try to share the knowledge and encouragement that there IS a better way, HIS way. Sometimes the only gift our residents leave with is that memory of hope.
In His service,
Micah Dewing
Shelter Director