A-HOPE Collection Box

As you may know, Grace Covenant now has a volunteer team working at A-Hope Day Shelter quarterly. This group now has a close view of the most pressing needs at the shelter. One of these needs is for travel-sized toiletries, which clients need when they come to use the shelter's showers and sinks. We will be gathering donations of these items in the box marked "A-Hope" in the Information Station. As you spring clean or as you travel this summer, please consider setting aside the following items for this box: shampoo/conditioner; soaps; deodorant; toothbrushes; razors; toothpaste.

Homeward Bound Tour: December 5

Want to know more about the affordable housing crisis and issues affecting the homeless in our city? Please join the Serve Committee on a tour of A-Hope, Asheville's only day shelter and a program of Homeward Bound. We will take a tour on Saturday, December 5 from 11 AM to 12 PM. Please  RSVP to Britt Allen (itsbrittallen@gmail.com or 828-450-8166) by Wednesday, December 2.

Towel Donations Needed

Donation of Towels for AHOPE | Collection Box in the Information Station

New or gently used towels for the folks at AHOPE Day Center. Visit AHOPE's Facebook page HERE.

Homeward Bound Mattress Help | THIS Sunday, August 3 | 2 PM | Hampton Inn

Homeward Bound is receiving a donation of mattresses from Hampton Inn Suites on Airport Road. We need volunteers to load them into the box-truck and deliver them to Hendersonville. It should only take a couple of hours. If you can help, please contact Ashley Campbell at: volunteer@homewardboundwnc.org.

Homeward Bound: Hope to Home Needs

Hope to Home is looking for used furniture and monetary donations in order to furnish an apartment for a homeless person or family.  If you would care to contribute either furniture items listed below or a financial donation, please contact Peggy and Dick Manz at 285-2302 or peg123rr@gmail.com:  

• Bed (either Futon or frame)
• Dresser
• Chest of drawers
• Sofa
• Dining table and chairs
• Nightstand
  End tables
• Lamps

Grace Covenant Prom/Fundraiser: May 2

The 2nd Annual Grace Covenant Prom | May 2 | 7:00 PM  

Sponsored by GCPC's Youth to Benefit Homeward Bound  

Admission: $10 or Donation

The Youth of Grace Covenantt Presbyterian cordially invite you to a prom Friday, May 2nd at 7pm.  This event is being held to raise necessary resources for us to sponsor a move-in for a Homeward Bound client.  Admission is $10 or one item from the Homeward Bound move in check list posted in the narthex. To purchase your ticket, sign up with a youth group member in the narthex over the next two Sundays or bring your donation to our event.  Dance the night away with your sweet hearts and help us turn a house into a home for one of Asheville's homeless.  

Click HERE to view &/or download a list of needed items.

Homeward Bound Honors Grace Covenant with its Annual Impact Award!

Homeward Bound honored you all this past week with their 2013 Impact Award. Thank you, everyone who cooked a meal for Room in the Inn or slept on the floor or drove women from one place to another. Thank you, everyone who donated money to help raise $15,000 to buy them a truck. Thank you, everyone who participated on a Hope to Home team. Thank you, everyone who has volunteered at AHope or donated items for the newly housed. You all give of yourselves in so many ways in this city.  Thank you!

Donations of Houseware Needed

Homeward Bound Needs Donations of Housewares for Newly Housed Clients

They would love any donations of kitchen items, linens, and other basic household items.  They also have an ongoing need for washers and dryers.  To donate, please contact: Ashley Campbell
volunteer@homewardboundwnc.org or 828.777.1886

Homeward Bound of Asheville Updates

One of our key mission partners in Asheville , Homeward Bound, has shared interesting updates about the scope of their work. We are thankful to be able to work alongside them in Asheville. 

Housing

·       33 homeless people permanently housed

·       Total number of housed individuals: 573

·       Retention rate: 89%

·       On track to house twice the number of folks from last year by June 30.

Women At Risk

·       Now a program of Homeward Bound, originally of the WCCJ

·       Success rate continues to hover around 90%

Expanded Facilities

·       Purchased the house at 218 Patton Avenue from WCCJ, will house:

o   administrative offices

o   the Women At Risk program,

o   the Pathways to Permanent Housing staff

·       Original facilities expanded to house our A Hope Day Center and

         Pathways case managers

·       Open-house in September

A Dollar-a-Deal

·       new partnership with the Asheville Board of Realtors - A Dollar- a-Deal - Donation houses are being placed in various law and real estate offices around the area so that realtors and other parties can make a tax-deductible donation after a real estate closing. 

Kiss Me, Kate | Asheville Community Theatre | Thursday, June 13 | 7:30 PM | $20

·       All proceeds go to support Homeward Bound

·       Contact Jim Louder [337-4623, jim@hbofa.org] to buy yours

ActionFest | Carolina Cinemas

·       Proceeds from one film, every 3rd Friday, supports Homeward Bound

Two Community Volunteer Opportunities

Donations Needed

Newly housed family with two young children are in need of a bed for a child as well as a couch, a dining room table, dressers, and basic kitchen utensils.  If you can help, please contact Kate Perotta with Asheville City Schools (828.713.7280)  

Volunteers Needed

Homeward Bound is looking for volunteers to help pick up furniture

donations in their new truck!  Volunteers work in teams of 2 and commit to a
regular weekly shift that works for them, so that Homeward Bound can
schedule pickups with donors.  Contact Emily Ball if you're interested in
learning more at 258.1695 x258.

Thanks for the Truck!

From Homeward Bound, in their e-mail newsletter:

Thanks for the truck, Grace Covenant!

 

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church has been a long-time partner of ours, faithfully hosting Room in the Inn, supporting A HOPE, and joining HOPE to HOME teams.  This fall, they took on a big challenge: raising over $14,000 to buy us a new box truck!  If you've ever had the pleasure of riding in our broken down old van, you know what a gift this is for us!

Thanks to a matching gift from a private donor and an overwhelming response from the congregation, they were able to raise the money in just 3 weeks!  We're blown away by their generosity and support of our work to end homelessness.

We're in the process of buying a box truck that we can use for all kinds of things, but most importantly for ending homelessness by moving our clients into their new homes.  The truck will support our Welcome Home Project, transporting donations of furniture & housewares to our newly housed clients to support their transition into this new season of their lives.

You can support the Welcome Home Project too!  We're on the lookout for volunteers to help us pick up furniture donations in our new truck, any furniture & housewares you'd like to share, and volunteers to help move our clients into their new apartments.  Email emily@hbofa.org for more info.  And thanks again to all the good folks at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church for their tremendous support!

Truck for Homeward Bound

For more than a decade, Homeward Bound has been a significant mission partner with Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.  Four times a year we host Room in the Inn, a program of Homeward Bound.  Through our leadership and financial gifts, Grace Covenant was instrumental in starting Hope to Home, a faith based support program for newly housed people. This fall we, at GCPC, again have the unique opportunity to help Homeward Bound with their mission. They are in need of a box truck in order to pick up furniture donations and to help move their clients into new housing.  

A group of donors has established a $7500.00 matching gift through Grace Covenant. That means our donations of an additional $7500.00 will be matched so that we can reach our goal of $15000.00, the amount needed to buy the truck. This is an amazing opportunity to invest in ending homelessness in Asheville and would dramatically increase the number of people that Homeward Bound can serve. 

Make checks out to GCPC with "Truck" in the memo line or go online next week and make a donation by credit card on the GCPC website.

Hope to Home: Donations Needed

Hope to Home, a division of Homeward Bound, is dedicated to homing the chronically homeless. Part of this complicated process is to provide items needed to set up a new home. Below is a current list of needs. If you can help, please contact Debbie Lee (281-2578 | debelee@charter.net).

• beds
• bureaus
• night stands
• sofas
• coffee tables
• kitchen tables and chairs
• microwaves
• toaster ovens
• coffee makers
• TVs

Updates From Homeward Bound

Dear Supporters and Friends:

 

Here are some initial numbers for our fiscal year which just ended: July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012.

 

Homeward Bound assisted 215 homeless women and men in securing and moving into permanent housing! This is an annual record, breaking last year’s previous record of 203.

 

Among this 215, there are 104 chronically homeless persons who moved into housing! These are folks who had been homeless for more than a year or had multiple episodes of homelessness during the past several years. They also have one or more disabling conditions, including mental health issues, addiction issues, and physical disabilities.

 

Needless to say, people who are chronically homeless are the hardest to house and consume the largest percentage of community resources. This is why our number one priority at Homeward Bound is to end chronic homelessness in our community.

 

You played an important role in the accomplishments of the past year. As community partners, donors, and key volunteers, you are a part of the “village” whose collective efforts are ending homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County. On behalf of our board and staff, we thank you for all you have done to ensure that everyone has a safe and decent place to call home.

 

We are now in year 7 since we established our Pathways to Permanent Housing program in response to the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Your support and involvement has helped us reduce chronic homelessness by 75%. Working together, we will accomplish the goal of the 10-Year Plan!!

 

What does ending homelessness look like? See the picture above. This is Donna, a participant at A HOPE and in our Room in the Inn women’s shelter. She is holding the lease to her apartment which she moved into yesterday (Sunday)! Ending homelessness is a smiling face and cause for celebration!

 

Enjoy really good ice cream? Stop by Ultimate Ice Cream during July, either on Charlotte Street or on Tunnel Road, and order  a scoop (or more) of the flavor of the month, Sweet Cream and Blueberry Swirl. Proceeds from your purchase will support the programs of Homeward Bound to end homelessness.

 

With gratitude,

 

Jim

 

Jim Lowder

Director of Advancement

Homeward Bound of Asheville

(828) 258-1695 x254   cell (828) 777-1886

www.hbofa.org

 

Working to end the cycle of homelessness in our community.

    

Thank You!

Homeward Bound says, "Thanks for the Welcome Kits, Grace Covenant!" Click here to learn how we're part of the solution to homelessness.  

Profile: Room in the Inn

What is Room in the Inn?  A program of the Asheville area churches for hosting up to 12 women, nightly, for one week about four times a year.  We partner in this ministry with the Unitarian Universalist congregation (UU).  

How does it help?  R.I.T.I is a major portion of Asheville's HOMEWARD BOUND program, whose aim is to have every woman in safe housing.  Women can participate for up to 90 days, during which time they are helped to find permanent housing and provided with the skills and support that will help them stay there.

What does GCPC do during that week?  Volunteers from both GCPC and the UU congregations provide all aspects of care for our guests.  This involves the following tasks:

• Receive and transfer mattresses from the preceding church - set up after worship on the beginning Sunday.  Several persons are needed for 30-45 minutes to convert Fellowship Hall into a home for R.I.T.I
• Pick up women each evening at A-Hope Center and deliver to GCPC.
• Pick up women each morning and deliver to A-Hope, near downtown.
• Provide breakfast for the women and our overnight volunteers (7 days)
• Provide bag lunches for all 7 days (The UUs have this responsibility)
• Provide supper during the week.  The volunteers bring the food, serve it, eat with the guests, and clean up afterwards. Often a family or groups will team up for this service. GCPC and the UUs share in this responsibility.
• Clean up on the last Sunday and deliver the mattresses to the next church.
• Stay overnight. The overnight volunteers are the backbone of the program.  Two members from each congregation are the overnight teams.  Fire regulations require that someone be awake at all times.  This means that volunteers may sleep through the night with the exception of their 2-hour shift.
• Overall coordinator or co-coordinators work with the UU coordinator to make sure we have mattresses and linens in place by the Sunday RITI begins, make sure the truck(s) are lined up for the last Sunday to deliver mattresses to the next church, set up a sign-up sheet and secure volunteers for all slots, and are available each evening as the women arrive, so they see a steady host/hostess

Further information on each role and other RITI info is available from Sharon Blythe, the director of the Asheville RITI program at A-Hope  828-252-8883 or riti@hbofa.org . GCPC coordinators are also happy to provide information and volunteer opportunities: Nan Clarke, Susan Presson, Sandy Jividen, and Beth Kissling.

Come and see, come and choose to show hospitality and caring for these women in the R.I.T.I. ministry.

Profile: HOPE to HOME

HOPE to HOME is a faith-based program that pairs teams of 8-10 volunteers from the faith community with a person or family who’s been homeless but is moving into permanent housing.  Each team commits to supporting their newly-housed partners for one year in four key ways:  financial, material, practical, and most importantly, relationally. See here for more information.

I was a member of one of the two pilot teams, and much was learned from our experience. Let me tell you about Bill.  There were eight of us from four different faith communities, and we each had our role.  One of our members was a retired nurse, and she was invaluable at helping Bill move through the maze of our broken heath care system.  Some were able to take him to his various appointments throughout the day.  Others helped him organize his apartment and mend his clothes. I brought him vegetables from our community garden.  We even had a Christmas cookie making party at the synagogue where we decorated snowmen, stars, and the Torah! 

While we helped Bill begin his new life as a housed person, all of us learned much from this experience.  At a dinner which marked the end of our year together, Emily Ball, the director of the program, led us in some reflection.  After our meal, we (including Bill) each drew one question from a pile of questions.  “What did you learn that you didn’t know before?” “How has your experience in HOPE to HOME changed you?”  “What did HOPE to HOME teach you about yourself?” “ What’s the greatest accomplishment of the past year?” were among them.

In thinking back on the experience, we thought about how every team helps their newly housed person with the demands of finally having a place to live.  Perhaps the team member helps the person learn how to budget and apply for food stamps.  Perhaps a team member helps the person set up the new apartment and get to appointments on time.  Perhaps the team member invites the person to dinner, the state fair, or on a fishing trip.

What is really important about this program is how much each member of the team learns about him or herself. The final question affected each one of us.  “When I think about HOPE to HOME ending, I feel…” Some folks shared their anger about a broken system.  Others shared how sad they were about the unfairness of our world.  One person vowed to get involved in advocacy work. 

Me?  I share all these feelings, but I also feel energized. I want to be involved in helping our community end homelessness, and HOPE to HOME is working toward this goal.  Three of us from Grace Covenant Presbyterian have committed to serving on another team and we’d like to try and form a team on our own. Being part of this team helped me put a human face on poverty.  Accompanying Bill on this journey strengthened my sense of perservance. Being a part of this team helped me see how the Body of Christ can really work.  Contact me puffer61@gmail.com if you want to join me.        

--Tamara Puffer

Fundraiser Success!

A thanks from Buzz Durham re: our January 22 fundraiser at the Grey Eagle:

Wow—Vollie, Kari and the all the members of the Western Wildcats—thank you for the great music, show and dance lessons. When the checks clear, over $3,000 will have been raised for Homeward Bound and the A Hope Day Center. It was a great way to “kick the can” down the road in helping to provide services that move toward ending homelessness in Asheville. The Grey Eagle was a perfect venue. What a great time and great music—thank you!

Swing in Support of Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Center

Vollie McKenzie is one of Asheville’s finest. He and Kari Sickenberger head up the honky tonk western swing band, The Western Wildcats, who will play a benefit for Homeward Bound‘s A Hope Day Center on January 22 at the Grey Eagle. The Grey Eagle doors open at 5; at 5:30 Kari will teach the Two Step dance; the Western Wildcats start in earnest at 6 and will hold forth till 9. The Grey Eagle will have a full supper menu. Tickets are $10.

The Western Wildcats are great for dancing or just foot tapping, the band delivers quality country classics as well as original tunes with an authentic vibe. With the great Lynn Netherton on pedal steel and Russ Wilson on the drums, this group is the real rug cuttin’ deal!

The dance will benefit Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Center.  Homeward Bound ends homelessness in our community, by moving people off the streets & into their own apartments, then providing the support they need to stay housed.  Since 2006, Homeward Bound has housed 342 people, and 89% of them are still in housing…it works!  Many of those people got connected to housing by coming to Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Center for showers, a mailing address, phone use, storage, and help from staff.  Last year, A HOPE served 3,161 people!  Supporting Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Center supports the solution to homelessness in our community.

Sponsors of the benefit dance are Homeward Bound, Beth Israel Congregation, and Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Homeward Bound: Volunteers Needed

Please join the list of willing and able!

Become involved with Homeward Bound, and you will have the joy of helping someone move from homelessness to a home, and know firsthand the impact that housing has on people who’ve been homeless in our community.  You will see the joy it is for clients who move into an apartment that isn’t empty, but that instead has donated furniture and household goods to help them make the transition from homelessness to home.

The work happens--whenever you’re available. Your name will be placed on a list of GCPC volunteers, and when we receive a call from Homeward Bound, you will be notified and asked for your availability. Then the team of movers and vehicles will be formed and you will join up with Homeward Bound’s staff to accomplish the work, normally completed in a few hours. To volunteer, please send your name to Carolyn Tingle at kenilworth550@yahoo.com .  Please indicate if you are a mover, have a truck or van, have storage space, or need more information. See below for descriptions of each need.

Movers

Movers help to pick up furniture and other donations of household goods from people in the area who want to donate to Homeward Bound. They help to deliver those donations either to Homeward Bound for storage, or directly to a Homeward Bound client’s new apartment for immediate use!

Vehicles

Vans or pick-up trucks can be used to transport furniture and other donated household goods to either Homeward Bound storage or directly to a client’s new apartment.

Storage

Extra space in your garage or basement can be used for short-term storage of furniture and household goods as they are matched to Homeward Bound clients.