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HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS AND MORE THROUGH SERVICE
Though shelter is one of life's basic human needs, many people in our Michigan communities do not know where they will lay their heads down each night. In 2011, more than 100,000 people in our state were homeless and one out of every 417 households experienced a home foreclosure, meaning thousands more may soon experience this same hardship. As we close out the last days of summer and head into another cold Michigan winter, the alarming reality facing these homeless men, women, and children has community members, policy makers, and more in search of a housing solution.
At the Michigan Community Service Commission, we know that service can and is an effective strategy to address many of our state's issues, including the current housing challenge. Across the state, three innovative national service programs are harnessing the power of AmeriCorps members and volunteers to create housing, find resources for the homeless, and fight foreclosure. Read on to learn how these unique programs are using service to ensure more Michigan families have a place to call home.
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Building Homes and Hope
With 79 affiliates across the state, Habitat for Humanity of Michigan has an annual goal of producing 500 homes each year, with the new home owners helping every step of the way. To help build the capacity of their affiliates and the sustainability of their home owners, Habitat for Humanity of Michigan relies on the support of 47 Michigan's AmeriCorps members who provide volunteer coordination, construction technical support, outreach, family service assistance, and neighborhood development project support across the state.
As a result of the Michigan Habitat's AmeriCorps member service in 2010-2011, 4,800 new volunteers were supervised at Habitat for Humanity of Michigan affiliate sites throughout the state. These volunteers dedicated a total of 44,600 service hours, helping to construct 14 new homes. In addition to monitoring volunteer operations, the members also worked to increase volunteer satisfaction, which helps to retain trained volunteers and ensure they return to serve again.
While some members were busy on the construction site, other Michigan Habitat's AmeriCorps members were providing financial training to more than 800 Habitat homeowners that will help them remain in their homes. These members also helped 366 new families fill out applications, assisted 76 families through the selection process, and monitored the sweat equity hours of 58 families. As the housing crisis continues to impact our state, the unique partnership of national service members and volunteers serving together with the Habitat for Humanity will enable the program to create safe and affordable housing for countless Michigan families.
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 Services and Strategies to Support the Homeless
When families or individuals are experiencing homelessness, one of the first places they turn for assistance is a local non-profit agency in their community. To help navigate the complex issues that the homeless encounter, many nonprofits have enlisted the trained and caring support of a Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness AmeriCorps member. Comprised of 20 full-time Michigan's AmeriCorps members, the Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness program is coordinated by the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.
In an effort to alleviate the state's homelessness issue, Campaign members perform outreach activities to homeless individuals in need of support, assess barriers to housing, develop strategic plans to help individuals out of their situation, and identify possible housing options. In 2010-2011, these members assisted 1,683 individuals experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness members also spent time recruiting volunteers to provide additional services to this population and acting as a liaisons for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness AmeriCorps members make a difference each day, by helping homeless individuals to lead safe, secure and self-sufficient lives. To illustrate the impact, AmeriCorps member Amy Popoff shares this story. "Andrew, who has a disability, had been homeless for several years. He was staying at an emergency shelter when he was made aware of and applied for a tenant based rental assistance housing voucher.
"After being accepted into the program in March of 2010, Andrew began to undergo intensive case management, long-range planning, and housing stabilization efforts through the Campaign to End Homelessness. Andrew has now been successfully housed for over one year and is becoming a better advocate for himself and his disability. He also keeps his apartment clean and organized and is able to look forward and see a future for himself."
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Fighting Foreclosure with Families
With an increasing number of Michigan homeowners facing foreclosure, the ability for local housing counseling agencies to assist every client was becoming impossible. Fortunately, the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) saw this important need and stepped in to assist. Through the creation of their AmeriCorps program, the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps, 20 full-time Michigan's AmeriCorps members have been dispatched throughout the state to various foreclosure counseling agencies and community-based tax centers.
Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps members assist their host agencies in a variety of ways: performing intake, triage, marketing, outreach, education, volunteer generation, and more. In just three short months, Foreclosure Corps members have served a total of 8,688 homeowners. This includes performing intake and follow up interviews with 2,764 clients and responding to 4,423 requests for intake information. Members also hosted a number of financial education seminars to help homeowners increase their financial literacy. After learning about budgeting, credit repair, and financial recovery from foreclosure, Foreclosure Corps members were able to help 460 homeowners increase their financial knowledge by at least 50 percent.
Members serving through the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps provide much needed capacity building assistance that enables more Michigan families to remain in their homes. When a woman from St. Ignace called AmeriCorps member Vicki Patson in October of 2011, she was not eligible for the immediate services available through Vicki's host agency. Though she could have easily slipped through the cracks, Vicki continued to work with the woman through her many challenges to find a solution. In early summer, the woman received notification that her home would be sold in a Sheriff sale on July 12. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of Vicki and her host site, the woman was able to obtain loan rescue funds by June 29, allowing her to avoid the Sheriff sale, get current on her mortgage, and keep her home.
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Are you ready to answer the call to serve? Help house the homeless in your community by volunteering your time and services. To explore volunteer positions that fit your skills and interest, search our online volunteer portal.
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About the MCSC
The Michigan Community Service Commission builds a culture of service by providing vision and resources to strengthen communities through volunteerism. In 2011-2012, the MCSC is granting nearly $8 million in federal funds to local communities for volunteer programs and activities. The MCSC is funding 24 AmeriCorps programs and seven Volunteer Michigan grantees. The Governor's Service Awards and Mentor Michigan are also premier programs of the MCSC.
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