Report From the Conference

• Developing a Consumer Advisory Board; presenters: Amy Grassette, Reginald Hamilton, Marianne Malott and Antoinetta Stadlman
• Integrating Direct Service and Advocacy; presenters: Kevin Lindamood and Joseph Benson
• Dignity Heals: The Power of Personal Testimony; presenters: Donna Smith and James Crawford Jr.
• Involving Consumers in Homeless Research Studies; presenters: Amy Grassette, Pia Valvassori and Molly Meinbresse
• Empowering the Individual to Self-Care; presenters: Marion Walls and Gary Cobb
• Patient Empowerment: How Self-Esteem Contributes to Improved Health Outcomes; presenters: Reginald Hamilton and Carol Hall
  

Mentorship Program
Fifty NCAB members, plus others who have experienced homelessness, attended the conference. To help consumers attending their first conference, NCAB's Mentorship Program paired seasoned consumer conference goers with first-time consumer attendees.

New consumers were invited to request a mentor while completing their scholarship application or when registering for the conference. The Mentorship Program oriented new consumers to the conference and assisted with activities such as:

• Navigating registration
• Understanding the conference brochure
• Choosing and attending workshops
• Networking with other conference attendees
  
• Visiting the resource room
• Attending the Consumer Dinner and NCAB's Annual Meeting

During NCAB's May meeting, the Executive Committee worked on the Consumer Participation Outreach (CPO) Survey. The topic for the upcoming survey will be homeless persons' experience of violence.

Collaboration with the National Council's Research Coordinating Committee will help assure that the survey meets rigorous research standards, including approval by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) operated by the Metropolitan Nashville Public Health Department. IRBs are designed to protect "human subjects" of research, in this case the homeless people who will be interviewed.

The surveys will be conducted in the seven cities represented by NCAB's Executive Committee. Please watch the NCAB Newsletter for CPO results and the chance to participate in future studies.

Houston Health Care for the Homeless annually organizes a tour of its facilities for volunteers, donors and public officials. This day-long event, sponsored in part by The Health Museum, was held on April 2. The day began with a breakfast at The Health Museum hosted by Tony Greisinger, PhD, Executive Director of the Kelsey Research Foundation.

Tour participants traveled to various homeless service providers throughout Houston, including SEARCH Homeless Services and the Cathedral Clinic, where they heard an inspirational presentation by Sonya Heller. One of Health Care for the Homeless' many success stories, Ms. Heller spoke specifically about the Houston Health Care for the Homeless' Jail Project.

Cooking from Scratch by Reginald O. Hamilton
Whether we believe in the creationist theory or the evolutionist theory, we exist.
Whether we are some super dream or a material fact, we exist.
Whether we are the result of molded clay and a breath of life or came from Neanderthal man, we exist.
Whether we are male, female, or both, we exist.
 
Whether you believe your day started with a telephone call, an alarm clock, or naturally, we exist.
Whether you believe you created all your ideas or they are the result of divine inspiration, we exist.
Whether you believe you are here by accident of birth or came here with a purpose, we exist.
Whether you believe the people in your life are happenstance or pre-ordained, we exist.
 
Once upon a time a "Y" met an "X" and they became inseparable, yes we exist.
Once upon a time a mind met an idea and they grew together, yes we exist.
Once upon a time a problem met a solution and changed the world, yes we exist.
Once upon a time "A" met human "B" and they united and became a family, yes we exist.
 
We all start from scratch, therefore we exist.
We all absorb wisdom, knowledge and understanding, therefore we exist.
We all feel pain, disappointment, joy, and satisfaction, therefore we exist.
We are all in fact human, but universally; spiritually much more, therefore we exist.
 
Showcase by Reginald O. Hamilton
Let your imagination soar, it's not limited from floor to the ceiling
Let you imagination soar, let it expand, let it reflect your feelings
Let your imagination soar, it is capable of envisioning total delight
Let your imagination soar, it is an expansive part of you, let it take flight.
 
We are out of the box; we are the image of our Creator
We are one with the universal consciousness, we are creators
Limitless power is in our imagination; look around at what it has brought
Imagination is the doorway to the energy of the future.

We need our readers! Please send personal stories, poems, and articles or share your ideas about what you would like to see in the NCAB Newsletter. We'd love to learn how you started your Consumer Advisory Board and how it is running today. Write us at [email protected]. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity.