| The Connection
a publication of the Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc. |
| ...keeping you up-to-date on local, state and national homeless issues | |
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From The Desk Of The Executive Director
Is It Really Ten Years?
By: Katheryn Preston
Executive Director
Wow, back before Ten Year Plans and Interagency Councils the Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness (GCEH) was at the forefront of addressing the needs of Georgia's Homeless Population. During that decade McKinney-Vento was new terminology and the face of homelessness looked very different. GCEH is celebrating our 10th Anniversary and has weathered two very different presidential administrations, a war, and numerous cultural transitions. Homelessness, originally affected only a small percentage of our nation's low income families and individuals. Today homelessness has grown to unacceptable and shameful proportions for this great country. More are living in sub-standard housing and the increase in poverty has placed more Georgian's than ever at risk of homelessness. Incomes have been unable to sustain the increased living costs and housing in many cities. The hardest working individuals and families are finding that safe, decent and affordable housing is rapidly out pacing their affordability. Since 1996 GCEH has developed into a statewide network of over 1,100 providers who collectively work together serving homeless and at risk women, children and men with housing, shelter, financial assistance, transportation, recovery services and the basics of life. GCEH's goals and projected outcomes support programs that continue to improve access to services with increased quality of service delivery. Our research and statistical information create more concise pictures of homelessness in Georgia. We are committed to developing additional services to address evolving issues. Though much has been accomplished these past ten years, we still have challenges. The most recently discovered and validated emerging homeless issues in Georgia include the aging and medically fragile homeless population, unaccompanied youth, families with children, and veterans. GCEH's Board of Directors and Staff are committed to enhanced program development to address the needs. We appreciate our partners and Georgia's Best Practice Providers, all their hard work and you standing beside our organization. We look forward to strengthening communities through our technical assistance, supports and services. These past years have been such a gratifying experience and we eagerly look forward to the next ten years. Now we have much work to do, I believe that with your help we can and will overcome homelessness. The time will come when we will celebrate, "No one on the streets tonight". Thank you all for your commitment to serving persons in need. |
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 What Memorial Day Means To GCEH
As we take time to remember and honor those who served our country, it is good to remind ourselves that the best way to say "thank you" to our veterans is to make sure they are well taken care of once their service has ended. Far too many of our veterans find themselves homeless, living on streets, in parks or abandoned buildings, and in need of our assistance. The Georgia Coalition To End Homelessness is proud to continue to honor our veterans by comitting ourselves to their plight and promise to stay invested in the cause of helping them find a decent place to live so that they can enjoy the quality of life they fought so hard to preserve for all of us.
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Unanimous Senate Judiciary Comittee Vote Passes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act
On May 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed S. 2982, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act, by a unanimous vote. The bill, which was introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Specter (R-PA), would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and make a number of improvements to the program, including increased authorization levels to fund Basic Center Programs at $150 million and Street Outreach Programs at $30 million; mandates for the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an incidence study to get better data on the number of homeless youth nationally; and mandates for the Government Accountability Office to do a review of the Administration's application and peer-review process; increased length of stay in shelter from 14 to 21 days and in the Transitional Housing Program from 18 months to 21 months; and a number of other improvements. The bill will now move to the full Senate.
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U.S. House and Senate Agree on 2009 Budget Resolution
Last week, the House and Senate reconciled their differences and agreed on a FY 2009 Budget Resolution. The Budget Resolution, which will now be voted on by the full House and Senate, would fund domestic discretionary programs at $436.6 billion, which is $22.6 billion above the President's FY 2009 request and $21.2 billion above domestic discretionary spending in FY 2008. The Budget Resolution provides a roadmap for appropriators as they move forward with the FY 2009 appropriations bills, but it is not binding.
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 U.S. Soldiers Experience Increased Rates Of Depression, Post Traumatic Stress, Homelessness and Suicide, Study Finds
The Army has stepped up mental health screening at the end of tours, but a recent Rand study says many soldiers are still undiagnosed. Less than half of the 300,000 affected veterans have been treated.
Nearly one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is currently suffering from depression or stress disorders, according to the latest and most comprehensive study of current and former military service members. Less than half of those 300,000 veterans have received care for depression or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the study, signaling significant problems with the U.S. mental healthcare system. The study shows that the stress disorders may be more prevalent and lasting than previously known. Although the Army has conducted annual evaluations of troops deployed in Iraq, the new study, conducted by the Rand Corp. and funded by the California Community Foundation, is the first to try and assess the mental health of the 1.65 million service members that have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan...
Amid reports of increased mental health problems, the Army has been dramatically stepping up its screening of soldiers at the end of their tours. But the Rand study argues many soldiers and Marines are still slipping through the cracks in the bureaucratic system. The symptoms of depression and PTSD can appear months after an incident, and so mental problems that appear later may never be caught, the study said.
Based on interviews with 1,965 current and former service members, the study asked how many had suffered from PTSD within the previous 30 days and suffered from depression within the previous two weeks. "We have tried to generate this estimate across the entire deployed population," said Terri Tanielian, one of the study's authors. "We are looking at the scope of the problem now among the population back in the United States." The study also shows that 19.5% of veterans had received a concussion or other traumatic brain injury during their combat tour, a number similar to Army estimates.
Some service members may actively avoid a diagnosis of a mental health problem, fearing the negative consequences of being diagnosed with a stress disorder or depression, according to the study. These troops are worried that their career could be hurt or co-workers would have less confidence in them after a diagnosis. "When we asked folks what was limiting them from getting the help that they need, among the top barriers that were reported were really negative career repercussions," Tanielian said.The report recommends finding ways to allow service members to get mental healthcare "off the record" so that they would not have to disclose it to superior officers, unless it was those officers who referred the service member for help. Since some soldiers and Marines fear that seeking treatment will prevent them from being redeployed with their unit, the study authors also recommend not basing fitness-for-duty reports on whether a service member has sought mental healthcare. Those service members who want treatment face a dearth of healthcare providers with expertise in treating war-related mental disorders, the study found. The shortage leads to long wait times that discourage some people from getting help.
Thousands more mental health professionals -- both in government hospitals and the civilian healthcare systems -- are needed to meet the need of troops and veterans, and new training is needed for current medical professionals, according to the report. "Since the dramatic increase in the need for services exists now, the required expansion in trained providers is already several years overdue," the report said. The study recommends finding ways to help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get access to the civilian mental health providers.
Mental healthcare also needs to be standardized and improved, and only a little more than half of the service members being treated for stress disorders and depressions received adequate care, according to the survey. "The prevalence of PTSD and major depression will likely remain high unless greater efforts are made to enhance systems of care for these individuals," the report said. Stress disorders and other combat-related mental ailments can lead to suicide, homelessness and physical health problems. But more mundane problems caused by stress disorders and depression can have long-term social consequences. "These conditions can impair relationships, disrupt marriages, aggravate the difficulties of parenting, and cause problems in children that may extend the consequences of combat trauma across generations," the study says.
The failure to adequately treat depression and stress disorders can cost the United States up to $6.2 billion, said Lisa H. Jaycox, another of the study's authors. "While the existing therapies do not guarantee recovery in 100% of people," Jaycox said, "we make the case that investing in treatment early would prevent some of the negative consequences from unfolding and save money."
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Valdosta Help Organization Opens Homeless Shelter
The Uplift organization is working to build a stronger community as it opens a shelter and resource center for those who are in need.
10 years ago, the Uplift organization was founded upon a mission of empowering others toward better lives. Now, having purchased and converted the old Morven Primary Elementary School into a full community resource center, Uplift looks to continue its mission through partnership support.
"We acquired the Morven Primary Elementary School and converted the building into a multifaceted facility," said Uplift member, Tyrone Terrell.
"We hope to focus on community development, residential placement, and provide a resource center to meet the needs of the people in our area at-large."
Work on the project began in June shortly after Terrell, an Atlanta native, was inspired towards the vision while passing by the school.
"I found after living in South Georgia that small cities have many of the same ills that big cities have, but they don't have the resources to combat those issues and re-build the community," Terrell said. "The mission of this center is to empower - socially, politically and economically. Seniors are our first focus and anyone who is in need, really. There will be housing for the needy, dealt with on a sliding scale, and the other part will focus on community development."
As others within the community begin to partner in the project through volunteer service, Terrell hopes to offer a range of counseling and enrichment courses throughout each week.
"This facility is 29,000 square feet with several offices that can be used for classes, and there is also a full cafeteria that we plan to use to offer free meals to the hungry," Terrell said. "We want to provide education and counseling services, such as GED courses, as well as anger management, money management, etc. With the University right here, we hope to begin some type of collaboration with them in which maybe their students can come and teach in various areas. We also hope that those in the community with skills - music, dance, writing, a trade of some sort - will volunteer to share their services as well."
As a non-profit organization, Uplift is greatly dependent upon community support to fully bring the resource center's vision to pass.
"So far, this has been funded out of my pocket and it has exhausted my funds really, but this center is something like a ministry," Terrell said. "We tend to think that all ministers are in pulpits, but I think the work is really in the streets. This is my mission, this is our mission, and we want the community to buy into what we're doing, because this is their center. It's here for them."
Like many non-profit organizations, Uplift is working to secure grant funding to sustain the project. While awaiting approval, Terrell will open the center for public use, in hopes of supporting operational costs.
"I write grants, but with everybody trying to get one, I learned that you really need to be self-sustained, and for that reason, we plan to also use the facility to bring in funding to offset costs," Terrell said "We have a large auditorium, and we hope to host plays, talent shows - whatever the community wants, and we'll also lease the auditorium to groups and churches for various community events. All this is to help us be self-sustained."
Already, support for the center has come from the local community and Terrell is hopeful that as the surrounding area is served, others will join in the mission.
"I would really like to say thanks to the city of Morven and Brooks County which have been very cooperative since we've started," Terrell said. "We hope to engage other communities over the future, because this center is not just for those in need here in this city, but in all those cities nearby."
The Uplift Community Center is now open, providing resource services from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and residential aid 24/7.
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 Savannah's Park Place Outreach Opens New Facility
Park Place Outreach, formerly known as the Savannah Runaway Shelter - has outgrown its quarters in Savannah and has created a $1.7 million replacement. The new facility recently held an open house at the new run-away and outreach shelter. The nonprofit agency was started by a group of community leaders and service professionals and has been in operation since the mid-1980s, using a large house built in 1894.
Park Place's new facility will give the agency about 3,000 more square feet in which to operate. It consists of an existing house that's being renovated; a new building that has three floors, including a garden floor; and a structure that connects the two buildings. The entire complex is certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and will be one of the first nonprofit LEED structures in the country, meaning it will meet guidelines established by the U.S. Green Building Council for environmentally friendly, efficient and sustainable practices.
The architect for the project is the Cowart Coleman Group, and the building and renovating is being done by J.T. Turner Construction Co.
Park Place can accommodate up to 12 youngsters at a time and admits from 150 to 200 people each year. They range in age from 11 to 18. The agency is the only one in Chatham County that serves youngsters at no charge and without referrals.
"Our goal is to reunite them (the youngsters) with their families or to have them placed in safe environments," said Linda Hilts Lamas, who serves as the agency's executive director.
In addition to providing emergency shelter, Park Place also operates a "street outreach" program targeting youngsters who spend the majority of their time on the streets or living amid the Savannah area's homeless population.
"There are a lot of people who have absolutely no place to turn to," said Marolyn Overton, Vice Chair of the Park Place Board of Directors. Ms. Overton said she was asked to serve on the board about four years ago, and she's put her heart and soul into the work.
To volunteer with Park Place or for information contact the agency at 912-234-4048.
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