Hospitality House, The Landing Place and Comprehensive Client Care are all programs of Knox County Homeless Coalition.
Dear Friends,
Thanksgiving week is a gentle breeze of respite from our hectic lives. Somehow we are able to give ourselves permission to stop our frantic obsession with meetings, emails, texts, obligations — and take notice.
Notice what really matters next week.
Will you catch yourself giggling in the sunshine with your kids and pups? Will you notice the scent of a very indulgent feast invading your home as if it were a wondrous new kind of scent — yoga for the mind? Will you notice the meaning and powerful impact of home?
My wish for us all this Thanksgiving is that we appreciate the roof over our heads, the warmth, the lights that illuminate the darkness this time of year, and basic needs we often take for granted.
My wish is for us all to share the belief that everyone in our community deserves a chance at a hopeful life, a safe warm home, enough food so kids can focus in school — given the opportunity to thrive as the important part of our community and future they are.
One of our single mothers moved into a new apartment last week with her special needs son. She is now committed to becoming a social worker and giving back. She wants to work with us — and has openly shared that we saved her life after a long-term abusive relationship that resulted in anxiety, depression, no confidence, and a loss of hope. This situation is one we see regularly — people who have experienced hard times and simply need some care, a hand up and support to believe in themselves again.
You did that — a thousand times over.
I am sending our deepest gratitude for the gifts of home, help and hope you have so generously given to thousands — simply by supporting the work of Knox County Homeless Coalition. Whether financial support, volunteering, tutoring a child, mentoring an entire family, or making a meal for The Landing Place — you are part of a growing family that saves lives and the futures of our children — each and every hour of every day.
With wholehearted appreciation from me, the entire team at KCHC, and our board of directors, we wish you all a joyful, peaceful and safe Thanksgiving week.
Much thanks,
Executive Director
We Do It Differently:
FOCUS ON COMPREHENSIVE CLIENT CARE
What does a hair salon, new sneakers and matching bedding have to do with homeless services? The images below most likely don't resemble what you had in mind when you thought about "Comprehensive Client Care" at a homeless services agency. Maybe you didn't even know what to think as this is not a commonly discussed term. Should our sole focus be on housing alone?
A special thanks goes out to Reflections Salon in Thomaston (see image below) for donating hair cuts and styling to a family of five!
Homelessness is a complex problem that will never be addressed through housing alone.
Let that sink in.
So, what does it take? And, why is Knox County Homeless Coalition different? We offer a trust-based, relational approach to client-centered care without rigid time restrictions. We focus on developing the unique strengths of the individuals and families we work with while eliminating the barriers to independence creating individual goals and paths for every client. We partner with whole families to break cycles of poverty and homelessness at multiple points within various generations. We believe this provides the best chance of creating community-wide systemic change. Our statistics back us up.
92%
of those who complete our full program inclusive of post-housing support are successful.
48%
of the households we serve are families with children meaning we impact multiple generations at once.
But, what does "Comprehensive Client Care" look like practically? It looks like a couch and beds with matching bedding and throw pillows for a mom to turn her first apartment from a house into a home. It looks like haircuts that provide confidence for kiddos to hold their head high when they walk into their classroom, helping them want to be in school. It looks like new sneakers so a kid can participate in a sport they've always wanted to try. It looks like a conversation with someone who just needs to know they aren't alone in the world, or just listening — without judgement — to a teen at The Landing Place. It looks like a connection to Vocational Rehab to develop job skills, or transportation to the doctors to deal with health issues that have gone untreated long enough and will improve someone's quality of life. It looks like getting a birth certificate to validate I.D. and helping someone pass the driver's exam to get their first license. It looks like pots and pans so that a dad can cook his kids' dinner the first night in their own place. And, all of that helps provide hope for the future—the kind of hope that inspires clients to reach their goals and be active contributing members of our community!
Recently housed, Billie Jo has a new vision for her future. She wants to make a difference. She began by speaking at Knox County Homeless Coalition's One Night Without A Home event —an act she says she wouldn't have dreamed of doing 6 months ago. She reminded participants, "In the winter we all think about the homeless in danger of dying due to the frigid temperatures, but we need to remember there are just as many, if not more, people in danger of dying every day due to the despair and loneliness that comes from homelessness."
UPCOMING EVENTS, TRAININGS AND OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
Now
There's still time to Adopt-a-Family for the holiday. Wish lists are being distributed now and wrapped gifts are due back at KCHC by December 6, 2019. Experience the joy of giving hope this season.
Questions? Email our Chief Executive Elf or call the elf line direct at 207-390-1154.
December
Thresher's in Thomaston is hosting a coat drive now, through December. Drop off warm outerwear at their 1 Star Street, Thomaston location.
Coats, Snow pants, & Snow suits (All sizes from baby through adult 4XL)
Hats, gloves, mittens, face warmers, scarves
Warm and sturdy boots
December 21
3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Ryan Moody modeling one of the commemorative PHOG t-shirts.
Come hear the sounds of KCHC's own Ryan Moody and Brian Hallinan and their band PHOG at Thresher's Brewing in Thomaston in honor of Homeless Memorial Day. Enjoy food and beverage and music all evening. All donations received will benefit the life-saving programs at KCHC.
3:00 Blind Albert
4:00 Mia Mantello
5:00 Drive By Todd
6:30 Memorial Event
7:00 Phog
PHOG commemorative T-shirts are available for $10 that night with proceeds going to support KCHC.
December 1-31
Our friends at the Pen Bay & Rockland Harbor YMCAs are collecting warm socks and long johns as well as undergarments of all sizes from baby to adult. Drop off new socks and undergarments at either location from December 1-31, 2019.
It Takes a Village:
HIGHLIGHTING OUR COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY
1.
Volunteers play a special role in all of our programs at Knox County Homeless Coalition, and this month we'd like to give a special shout-out to our friends at Coastal Opportunities who have been volunteering, one morning a week, for years now! This group of 5-6 men and women come and do everything from harvesting in the garden to stocking the shelves of our food pantry and tidying up our donation center. This is a fun ongoing collaboration!
2.
More than 40 different organizations volunteer on a regular basis to provide hot meals for the 50 or so young people who attend The Landing Place every Tuesday and Thursday. Earlier this fall the Rockland Police Department came and barbecued and served dinner to the kids. We are so fortunate to be in a community where law enforcement is so committed to bridging the gap between young people and the greater community.
3.
Thank you to the nearly 300 people who supported our One Night Without A Home event in early November. We hope that whether you slept out or supported a team that your eyes and hearts were opened to understand more fully that the homeless experience is much more difficult than those experiencing it are often given credit for. The people we serve are resilient and resourceful individuals, courageous and persistent survivors who deserve the dignity care and respect we afford them at KCHC. Read more about the sleep out here.
Lasting Impressions:
HOME HELP AND HOPE COME IN MANY FORMS
A recent resident at Hospitality House, who had a number of Halloween decorations in a storage unit from their previous life, dug them out and placed them around campus to make the shelter festive for all the kids! Talk about paying it forward!
