News from Community Housing Network

e-Network News, March 2011

In This Issue

Victim of Domestic Violence Feels Safe at Home

Time to Renew Kroger Community Rewards

Save the Date!

CHN Helps Fight Foreclosures

Come Out for Troy Restaurant Week!

DNOM Needs Your Help

Come Celebrate: An Invitation from Dohn Hoyle

Quick Links

CHN Website

Victim of Domestic Violence Feels Safe at Home

Usually we have a photograph that accompanies the stories of our program participants. Not in the case of Cynthia. That's because Cynthia (whose name has been changed for this article) was a victim of domestic violence. For a long time after leaving her abuser, she worried about him finding her and her two children, a one-year-old daughter and an infant son who was born early and remains in the hospital.

Cynthia credits Turning Point, a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence, with helping her to regain control of her life. She credits Community Housing Network with helping her get her first apartment.

"Turning Point gave me moral support, just to try to get over the domestic violence situation," Cynthia said. "It left scars on my body. They helped me get over it, and helped me to testify (against my abuser). I thank Turning Point for helping me, and
CHN for helping me get a
place to live so I could feel
safe. It took me a long time for me to realize that I'm safe. My kids are safe. I thank God that I'm safe."

Cynthia was living in a shelter when she began working with CHN to find housing. She now has an affordable apartment she and her two young children call home. The man who abused her is in prison, thanks to Cynthia's willingness to testify in court.

Cynthia expects her son to be released soon from the hospital, and she recently started looking for a job. Her daughter is also doing well.

"She's walking," said Cynthia. "She doesn't know what happened. I'm so happy for that."

It's that Time of the Year Again - Time to Renew Kroger Community Rewards!

Community Housing Network is part of the Kroger Community Rewards program, helping to put your grocery dollars to work!

If you are signed up for this program, you need to renew by April 1 in order to continuing benefiting Community Housing Network. Please note: You will not receive a notice from Kroger Community Rewards about this expiration. Renewing and joining is easy - simply go here and follow the instructions.

Please take a moment to renew today!

Thank you! We appreciate your support.

Save the Date!

March 20-25: Community Housing Network is the partner charity for Troy Restaurant Week! Please patronize a participating restaurant. More information can be found here.

March 24: Celebration: Freedom from Institutions for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. More information can be found here.

Message from Marc

Dear Supporter

house with hands

An important event happened recently that should not go unnoticed: Michigan closed its last institution for people with developmental disabilities. The last person from Mount Pleasant Center has now returned to the community, and that is cause for celebration! Please see this invitation from The Arc Michigan Executive Director Dohn Hoyle, and consider attending the celebration on March 24.

On a less momentous but more delicious note, please join us for Troy Restaurant Week, for which CHN is the charity partner. At the end of the week, participating restaurants will make a donation to CHN. We're grateful for this opportunity and hope that you will take advantage of it, too.

Finally, a great deal of struggle has been happening at both the state and national level over budgets. We sincerely hope that you will voice your opinions about your budgetary priorities to your legislators.

Enjoy spring!

Best regards,

Marc Craig
President

CHN Participates in Foreclosure Prevention Event

FINSC sign

Community Housing Network was pleased to take part in a foreclosure prevention event organized by the Foreclosure Intervention Neighborhood Stabilization Collaborative (FINSC), held at the Masonic Temple in Detroit on Feb.18.

The event drew hundreds of people at risk of losing their homes. Many lenders and a dozen certified foreclosure counselors provided personalized counseling and information to the homeowners.

Nicole Scott

Nicole Scott, a housing manager in CHN's Wayne, MI office, was on hand to help guide people and make sure they received information from an appropriate foreclosure counselor.

"I think this was a very beneficial event for the homeowners and the counselors," said Nicole. "A lot of people were helped."

Come out for Troy Restaurant Week!

Join us this week, March 20-25, as we patronize the restaurants participating in Troy Restaurant Week! CHN is the charity partner for the week-long celebration of great food at great values.

Fifteen Troy restaurants have teamed up to bring you Troy Restaurant Week, featuring special menus and pricing. CHN staff have personally visited all of the restaurants, and the menu selections and ambiance of each are fabulous!

At the end of the week, participating restaurants will make a donation to CHN. Show your support for CHN and the local economy by dining out for Troy Restaurant Week March 20-25. Additional information can be found on the Troy Restaurant Week website: http://www.troyrestaurantweek.com/.

If you have a camera on your cell phone, snap a few shots while your dining out and send them to us -- we'll post them on Facebook and Flickr!

Hope to see you dining out!

Disability Network of Oakland and Macomb Releases Community Needs Survey

Make your voices heard! Bullhorn

Disability Network of Oakland and Macomb (DNOM) is looking for people with and without disabilities to complete a Community Needs Assessment. The goals of the assessment are:

> To create a valuable tool for measuring community concerns of people with disabilities

> To better understand the concerns of the disability community

> To identify community concerns and assets through results that can be used for advocacy

> To highlight the impact that this and future reports will have on improving the quality of life for residents with disabilities

Please take a moment to provide input by April 11, 2011:

To access the survey please go here.

For an accessible survey, please go here.

Come Celebrate: An Invitation from Don Hoyle, The Arc Michigan

The last institution in Michigan for persons with developmental disabilities closed recently. Please join us in the celebration of this important moment!

March 24th, 2011
1:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
55 South Harrison Road
East Lansing, MI 48824

Guest speakers scheduled include Allan Bergman, Michael Head, Richard Pranglay, Gerald Provencal and Sarah Townsend.

All are welcome to attend.

Thank you,

Dohn Hoyle
The Arc Michigan

We'd love to hear from you! To contact us, please call (248) 928-0111. For media inquiries, or for suggestions regarding this e-newsletter, please call the above number or email aosmer@chninc.net. Visit our website at www.communityhousingnetwork.org. Thank you!

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