Homelessness « DoorwaysVA Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Homelessness’

No Better Reason to Wake Up at 3am

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

There is not enough coffee in the world to make me a pleasant person at 3 am. Yet, on Monday, October 17, I was filled with excitement as I walked into Arlington County’s Department of Human Services building at 3am. What could possibly drag me out of a peaceful slumber at this ungodly hour?

I wanted to end homelessness in Arlington.

The 100 Homes Campaign is an initiative of the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Arlington, a county-wide effort to coordinate services and leverage community support to give everyone a safe and secure home in our county. Doorways for Women and Families is a partner in the 10 Year Plan, helping provide a voice for the countless families experiencing homelessness in our community. The goal for the week of October 17 was to identify the most vulnerable individuals on our streets and in our shelters, so that we could rapidly get them into housing. The goal for the 100 Homes campaign is to get 100 vulnerable Arlingtonians into 100 homes by July 2013. A tall order, but luckily we started early in the morning.

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Tags: 100 Homes, Arlington, Homelessness, Intervention, Prevention, Virginia
Posted in Community Spotlight, Education and Advocacy | 2 Comments »

Should I Just Go Back?

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

“Should I just go back?”

Rita came to Doorways looking for safety. After coming to the conclusion that she needed to leave her abusive situation, Rita had to endure many challenges, including the risk of homelessness. The financial abuse she suffered prevented her from both meaningful employment and the skills needed to manage her money. Without anywhere left to turn, she bravely called Doorways and found a bed at our Safehouse.

Unfortunately, coming into our domestic violence shelter was only the first step in Rita’s pursuit to safety. Rita’s journey will not be over until she can find long-term, stable housing. While she has found temporary security in a shelter, affordable housing is the only cure to the cycle of abuse and homelessness that Rita seeks to end. And in her struggle to find an affordable home, Rita was left to ponder, “Should I just go back?” This is the part of the story often left untold.

Once women and families come into our shelters, our job is not finished until they can secure safe and stable housing. That is getting harder to do in these economic times. Last year, our Safehouse served a decreasing number of people – 20 households compared to 41 households the year before. Difficulty in finding affordable and safe housing has caused longer stays in our shelters. We have tried to address the issue by increasing our capacity to serve families in long-term housing – 85 households last year compared to 54 households the year before. But, the issue remains.

What is it going to take, as a community, to help people get beyond harm’s way? That is a question we need to ask of ourselves, our neighbors, and our community leaders. During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, write a letter to the editor and talk to a neighbor about striving to end the cycle of abuse and homelessness that affects community members like Rita.

Join us for an awareness event as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Tags: Arlington, Domestic Violence, Doorways, Education, Homelessness, Prevention, Shelter
Posted in Education and Advocacy | No Comments »

In the News: September 19 – 23

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Feature:

Our Executive Director, Caroline Jones, describes what’s on her mind as kids go back to school

Local:

Affordable Housing has become a huge problem in Arlington County and redevelopment on the Pike threatens it in a big way…

Homelessness:

An innovative new pilot program “Hammer, not a Handout” in Washington D.C. could reduce homelessness…
Doorways has been successful in getting school supplies for all the children in our shelters through our back-to-school program but there are many other Northern Virginia Homeless shelters that need school supplies for the children…
Current economic downturn has an enormous impact on people who cannot afford housing, one example is adult children living with their parents (doubling up), but another phenomenon that is taking place is divorced parents are co-habiting and recent report says it is bad for the children…

Domestic Violence

Tags: Arlington, Domestic Violence, Doorways, Education, Homelessness, News, Virginia
Posted in In the News | No Comments »

In the News: August 22 – 26

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The youth of Arlington have a tremendous resource to learn leadership, while Fairfax County wants to use its resources to end homelessness. More adult children are moving in with their parents, while a supporter wants Congress to move on with reauthorizing the Violence Against Women’s Act. This is just some of what’s in the news . . .

Local:

A successful year for Leadership Arlington’s Youth Program, reported by the Sun Gazette.

Homelessness:

Can Fairfax County End Homelessness?
Recession is pushing more families to take in adult children or relatives. Virginia has seen the largest increase in the area with a 45% increase in number of adult children living with their parents.

Domestic Violence:

Miller-Muro, Executive Director of the Tahirih Justice Center and a Doorways supporter, wrote a letter to the editor for Roll Call about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Tags: Arlington, Domestic Violence, Education, Homelessness, News
Posted in In the News | No Comments »

Homelessness Makes Me Sick

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

It is only a few weeks before the children of Doorways go back to school. Thanks to our wonderful donors who supported our Back to School Campaign, the children will be equipped with backpacks full of college-ruled paper, three-ringed binders and an umbrella for good measure. However, even with the generosity of our community, the odds are still stacked against these children. They are far more likely to miss school because homelessness and abuse make them sick.

Children experiencing homelessness struggle to succeed in school if they are too sick to fully participate. These children are four times more likely to get sick than most middle-class kids. With a high rate of sick days, over 87% of homeless children are enrolled in school, but only 77% are able to attend regularly, according to the Department of Education.

For children experiencing domestic violence, learning at school may be the furthest thing from their minds. The effects of coming from a violent home can be traumatic and long-lasting. Meaningful relationships, be they with one’s teacher or classmates, may be difficult to form, and focusing on one’s classwork may seem inconsequential compared to the stress of returning home.

The experiences that the children of Doorways experience day in and day out are an opportunity for us to teach the community about the effects of homelessness and abuse on children. There are children in the classrooms every single day trying to find a way to break the cycle of homelessness or abuse they have been experiencing, but they cannot do it alone. Education is a great way to help break that cycle, but the solution will include all of us in the community educating ourselves. As our children go back to school in a few weeks, remind them that the person next to them in class may not be as fortunate as they are.

To support our Back to School Campaign, please, send messages along on Facebook or visit our campaign website here.

Perspective and statistics inspired by The Campaign to End Child Homelessness

Tags: Back to School, Backpacks, Children, Domestic Violence, Doorways, Education, Homelessness, School
Posted in Education and Advocacy | No Comments »

In the News: August 15 – August 19

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Arlington County Public Schools are proposing a new sexual misconduct policy while Arlington takes on an initiative to fight 100 Homes for our most vulnerable. Our area’s homeless are struggling to avoid the heat, while a new iPhone app teaches people what its like to struggle to avoid dating abuse. And this is just some of what’s in the news . . .

Feature:

Opening a New Door to Women and Families: The Arlington Connection sits down to talk about our Executive Director, Caroline Jones.

Local:

Arlington schools prep a new sexual misconduct policy that seeks to promote balanced and healthy relationships.

Homelessness:

When the heat hits our area, think of those who have no home to escape it. The Washington Post reports on the struggles of our area’s homeless population.
Arlington County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness is taking on the initiative of the national 100,000 Homes Campaign. Learn more about it here.

Domestic Violence:

Domestic Violence can damage long-term mental health, as detailed by a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A new iPhone App created by Love is Not Abuse simulates teen dating abuse to help all understand what that relationship feels like.

Tags: Arlington, Dating Abuse, Domestic Violence, Doorways, Education, Healthy Relationship, Homelessness, News, Virginia, Women
Posted in In the News | 2 Comments »

In the News: August 1st – August 5th

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

While Congress looks over legislation to cut aid for homeless, the Domestic Violence Task Force in Virginia urges Gov. McDonnell to better protect victims of dating and domestic violence. It’s reported that Hispanic families have suffered the most during the recession, and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing works to secure more affordable housing in Northern Virginia. And that’s just some of what’s in the news…

Local:

Hispanic families accounted for the largest single decline in wealth of any ethnic and racial group in the country during the recession.
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing make sure affordable housing is available in the Ballston area.

Homelessness:

Members of Congress consider proposals to suspend or eliminate a federal program that provides services to more than 2 million homeless persons each year.
Veteran Affairs announces award of nearly $60 million in homeless prevention grants that will serve approximately 22,000 homeless and at-risk Veteran families.

Domestic Violence:

The Virginia Domestic Violence Task Force send its recommendations for ways Virginia can better protect victims of dating and domestic violence to Governor McDonnell.

Tags: Affordable Housing, Arlington, Domestic Violence, Gov. McDonnell, Homelessness, News, Women
Posted in In the News | 2 Comments »

In the News: July 25th – July 29th

Monday, July 25th, 2011

It is recommended that contraception and domestic violence screening should be included in health care plans, while the Department of Labor supplies guidelines for services benefiting female veterans who may become homeless. Family violence reports are increasing within the military community and one L.A. artist is raising homelessness awareness through his work. But that’s just some of what’s in the news…

Feature:

A recent change in state legislation expands access to protective orders.

Local:

The Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance issued a report calling for new regulations to preserve 11,500 housing units at risk of losing their affordable status in Columbia Pike.

Homelessness:

The Department of Labor releases a guide for groups that service former female soldiers who become homeless.
Local organizations have pooled their resources to ensure that HIV/AIDS treatment for homeless and low-income women goes beyond medication and into the realm of full-service support.
Check our one man’s mission to bring homelessness awareness to L.A. through his art.

Domestic Violence:

Reports of family violence and abuse are on the rise within the military. What is the cause?
The Institute of Medicine recommends that domestic violence screening and contraception should be covered in health insurance plans.

Tags: Arlington, Domestic Violence, Doorways, Homelessness, News, Virginia, Women
Posted in In the News | No Comments »

In the News: July 18th – July 22nd

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

Arlington schools are taking great lengths to ensure their non-English speaking students succeed in the classroom, while our homeless population in America seems to be getting left behind in our health care system. US Senators look over the Violence Against Women Act and low-income families may be pushed out of housing in Northern Virginia’s suburbs. And that’s just some of what’s in the news . . .

Local: