National Alcohol Screening Day, April 6, 2006, Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, 907 Logan Avenue Sponsored by Crossroads Clinic.     For the 2nd year the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless hosted the National Alcohol Screening Day event sponsored by Crossroads Clinic, Health Care for the Homeless (a Community Action program). Shown above left is Richard McCullough, Outreach/Case Worker for Community Action's Crossroads Clinic. In the center Brian Taylor, COMEA House volunteer, and Claire Prendergast, Vista Volunteer set up the screening booth. On the right Richard goes over the screening process with a consumer. Crossroads Clinic provides homeless individuals and families with medical care. In 2003-2004, that care included the diagnoses and treatment of hypertension, wounds, diabetes, depression, mental disorders and other serious ailments. More than 1000 clients were treated. top TABLE OF CONTENTS Wyoming State Legislature 2006 Session Affordable Housing in Short Supply, Michelle Dynes, Wyoming Tribune Eagle WCH Installs Shower and Laundry at 907 Logan Avenue Seton House 'Home' to More Homeless Families, Barbara Nordby, Casper Star-Tribune Homeless Students Need A Hand, Casper Star-Tribune Community Action of Laramie County Receives Grant to Build Housing for Homeless Veterans Homeless No Longer, Kevin Wack, Portland Press Herald San Francisco Hospitality House Offers Fine Arts Studio for Homeless, Kimberly Turner Homeless Burdened, Serdar Tumgoren, Gilroy Dispatch California City Lends Space to Homeless, Fred Alvarez, Los Angeles Times LINKS: Click Here for WCH Donation Form Join WCH's Discussion List Homelessness and Poverty In Our Time Wyoming Housing Network Equality State Policy Center Social Justince Fund, NW Faith Initiatives of Wyoming HUD in Wyoming Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless Index Wyoming Winds Index StreetViews Index Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless Statistics Publication Information Project Jason Cathy Crowe's (Street Nurse) Newsletter Dignity Village Universal Living Wage/Tax Day Campaign Causes and Effects Project Home HMIS Information Housing Assistance Council House the Homeless HUD Clips Kensington Welfare Rights Union National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Campaign National Interagency Council on Homelessness National Coalition for the Homeless National Alliance to End Homelessness National Low Income Housing Coalition National Coalition for Homeless Veterans top Affordable Housing in Short Supply Cheyenne residents must earn about $23,000 a year in order to afford an average two-bedroom apartment, experts say. By Michelle Dynes Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle April 10, 2006 CHEYENNE - What local renters expect to pay when they come here depends on where they're from. Renters from states like California and Colorado don't have the sticker shock of people from other parts of Wyoming and states like Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota or Montana, said Donna Green, broker and owner of Frontier Properties. According to the 2005 New Resident Housing Needs Assessment Survey, more than half of Laramie County's new renting residents expect to pay less than $600 a month, the average cost of a two-bedroom apartment. That survey is cited in the Community Needs Assessment Report. That was done by a coalition of local agencies to review the needs of the people in Laramie County and to examine the resources available to meet those needs. The lack of affordable housing was listed among the assessment's key findings. "Everyone has a different concept of what affordable housing means," said Mike Stanfield, executive director of the Cheyenne Housing Authority. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Laramie County estimates monthly housing costs ranging from $423 for a single adult to $536 for an adult with one or two children and $730 for an adult with three children. To afford the average two-bedroom spread, renters would need to make about $23,000 a year. This means they would have to make about $11 an hour in a 40-hour work week. A person working at the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour would have to put in 85 hours of week to afford the same place, the 2005 Laramie County Community Needs Assessment shows. "I'm not surprised affordable housing popped up as a priority (in the assessment)," Stanfield said. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 30 percent of a single person's income should be devoted to housing and utilities, said Conrad Namtvedt, housing manager with Community Action. With rent of about $400 a month, an individual would have to make at least $8.33 an hour to make it, he said. The pay rate jumps to $16.67 an hour to afford housing for a family of four at $800 a month. "There's just not enough of the affordable (housing)," he added. Namtvedt said he would like to see new developments dedicate a percentage of their property to affordable housing. Cheyenne Housing Authority assists about 2,000 families a year with rent assistance and housing vouchers. Another 800 to 1,000 people are on the waiting list for help. They'll be on that list for eight to 12 months. "It typically hovers in this range," Stanfield said. People on the list won't get aid until there is a vacancy in one of Laramie County's 1,400 affordable housing units. Stanfield said the program is exclusively federally funded and no new monies are coming. Affordable housing also means more than just having a roof. He said this is the foundation for family and community stability. Since the market is a little soft right now, the organization has room to negotiate with landlords, Stanfield added. But at the same time, rents are increasing. This situation isn't unique to Cheyenne, he said. "I've talked with other housing directors, and they have the same problems with the lack of availability of units," he said. "We don't have that right now, but the market is driving where rents end up." And there aren't many options for people on the waiting list. Until something opens up, they're left staying with family or friends while their name moves up the list, he said. Emergency assistance from places like Community Action will only cover a month's worth of rent. "They get referred on," Namtvedt said. "Who knows where they go from there?" top WCH Installs Shower and Laundry Construction is under way at the main Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless building at 907 Logan Avenue. When this is finished there will be a shower, and laundry facility for use by the homeless during the day time. In the picture on the left the shower area can be seen -- the laundry will go in the area behind the contractor's bench saw. Work should be finished in the next two weeks. The construction on the Day Care Center at 4700 Ocean Loop will start later in the spring or early summer. top Seton House 'Home' to More Homeless Families By BARBARA NORDBY Casper Star-Tribune Tuesday, April 11, was moving day for five Casper families, families who hope to be moving up in life as well as into a warm, clean home. Five new apartments are now open at Seton House, thanks to federal grants, thousands of dollars in community and business donations and hours of volunteer labor. The apartments have sparkling kitchens, soft new sleeper couches, bunk beds, dining room tables and even nice new lighting fixtures. The bathrooms have fresh towels, shower curtains and gift baskets full of essential toiletries. "Everything looks wonderful, and just clean and bright," said Susie McMurry as she toured the apartments Monday. The McMurry Foundation contributed to the project. Seton House started in 1989 with three apartments and since then has served more than 1,600 homeless, single-parent families. Now there are 19 apartments. "We've come a long way," director Pam Kozola said, minutes before U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas cut the ribbon on the remodeled building. In the past, the building at 910 N. Durbin St. has served as a plumbing business and a chicken processing plant, Kozola said. "Some of you may remember an abandoned, mustard-colored building with boarded-up windows," Kozola said, standing outside the apartments, which still had a building permit in one new window. "Thanks to all of you," she told a crowd, "we have turned this ugly duckling into a swan." Families can stay at Seton House up to two years, provided they follow "house rules," Kozola said. That includes setting goals and attending self-sufficiency classes in parenting, job skills and other areas. Not all families are sharing in Casper's recent prosperity, Casper Mayor Renee Burgess said. The average rent is unaffordable for a single parent making an entry-level salary. Many homeless families may not be visible to the general public. They stay at shelters and "couch-hop" from one friend's house to another, Kozola said. The constant moving can make it difficult for families to stay together and for children to stay in school. While poor people are asked to work hard to support their families and continue their education, Burgess said, "We forget they need a safe place to sleep at night and a place to call home." top Homeless Students Need a Hand Casper Star-Tribune Thursday, April 13, 2006 People open their hearts and wallets when Greta Hinderliter talks about the homeless students she helps. Hinderliter, who directs the district's homeless students program, told the Natrona County School District board about the students Monday night, and one lady attending the board meeting wrote a check right then. Every Monday, Hinderliter calls around to all the shelters in Casper and asks if any new children have arrived. She can't remember a week when there hasn't been someone new. In any given week, she said, there are around 50 homeless students in her program. There have been around 200 this year. Some high school students are homeless because they don't want to live with their parents any more; others are escaping real danger at home, from drugs or violence. Homeless teens move from one friend's house to another and may be reluctant to ask for help, for fear they'll be turned in to the Department of Family Services. Board member Donn McCall said DFS could investigate parents who don't supervise their children. He asked if the board could look at other ways to support students, so they could graduate from high school without worrying about getting in trouble for leaving home. "They're going to school and trying to change, yet the system is self-defeating," he said. Hinderliter said her dream is to have a home for homeless teens who are trying to finish school. Teens are "elusive," she said, and afraid of being turned in. "I hate to see these teen girls doing things they should not be doing just for a place to sleep," she said. The home would be "just a place where somebody cared." Every week she helps students enroll in school and find school supplies. When people give money, she's able to do more for students than the government provides for. This Monday she took a seventh-grader shopping at Target. He had only one change of clothes, and it hadn't been washed recently, she said. His shoes were too small for his feet. He was quiet, but grew more talkative as they drove to the mall. When they got there, she said, "He thought he had won the Lottery." She bought him a shirt for every day of the week. Hinderliter has been talking to community groups about how they can help. People respond. Someone from Sutherland's called her Monday, offering to share the proceeds of a raffle with the homeless students. Homeless students have a hard time staying in school because education is not a priority for their families, she said. Often she's the first person to tell them about the honor roll, or about college. "They have no idea really why they're in school and what they're working toward," she said. She tells them that with an education, "You can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness." top Community Action Receives Grant to Build Housing for Homeless Veterans From Community Action Spring Newsletter, IMPACT Community Action of Laramie County (CALC) was awarded a grant last fall from the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build a four-apartment complesx that will house up to eight homeless veterans. In addition to housing, CALC will provide case management to help the veterans transition back into jobs and more independence. Groundbreaking for the complex will take place this spring, with construction to be completed by late fall. top Homeless No Longer By KEVIN WACK Portland Press Herald WATERVILLE - The line between despair and hope can be strikingly thin. In Leo Morse's case, it wasn't much thicker than a bare mattress on the carpeted floor of a warm room he could call his own. Morse, an ex-Marine who's been in and out of homeless shelters for decades, lives in Maine's only housing for homeless veterans. A second home in Biddeford is expected to open soon. The walls of Morse's small bedroom, inside a Waterville house he shares with three other men, are almost bare. On top of his refrigerator sits an array of bottles holding pills that have failed to stop the intense nightmares he's experienced since returning from Vietnam more than 30 years ago. But Morse beamed with gratitude Thursday as he welcomed visitors into his home. He showed off his stereo and a new set of tools that have allowed him to rediscover his carpentry skills. He's working to stay sober, visiting Alcoholics Anonymous four times a day. "I've been battling alcoholism for 36 years, and this is the best opportunity I've ever had," Morse said. "It's an honor to be here. It is. It's a privilege and an honor." Like other homeless people, homeless vets are often coping with substance abuse and mental illness. On top of that, many are living with the trauma of having watched men die on the battlefield. Until they have roofs over their heads, it's hard to confront their other problems. "By giving people a stable place to live, it stops patterns of crisis," said Cullen Ryan, executive director of Community Housing of Maine, which developed the Waterville home. "It really allows this sense of 'I've got a place that is mine.' " The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 190,000 American military veterans are homeless at any time. That figure has dropped significantly in recent years, but it could increase again as more soldiers experience the aftereffects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "That's a concern for us. It should be a concern for everyone," said John Driscoll, spokesman for the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans in Washington, D.C. Until Thanksgiving 2004, when the Waterville home opened, there wasn't a single bed in Maine designated specifically for homeless veterans. Progress has come in small steps. There's room in Waterville for up to five people who must pledge to stay sober and can stay indefinitely. The Veterans Career House on West Street in a rural part of Biddeford will hold up to eight veterans who stay off drugs and alcohol. The Biddeford property was purchased and rehabilitated for about $400,000 using funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Maine State Housing Authority. Backers say this type of housing is cost-effective because it reduces the strain that chronically homeless people put on shelters and emergency services. Residents will only be allowed to stay at the Biddeford house for two years. The goal is to help them find good jobs in the 24 months they have a stable residence so that afterwards they can live independently. But advocates note that some homeless vets are unlikely to earn a livable wage even under the best circumstances. Morse said he's been deemed unemployable in part because of a head trauma he suffered more than a year ago in an attack at a Tewksbury, Mass., motel. When he checked into the motel, he had just sold a motorcycle for $5,000 and was carrying a wad of $100 bills. Later, someone attacked him with a 4-foot pipe, robbing him and causing injuries that led to multiple surgeries. Morse said he subsequently spent four months living at a crowded Boston shelter where fights were frequent. At one point he was so depressed that he put a gun in his mouth. The turnaround began when Morse moved onto a quiet block of Pleasant Street in Waterville. "Since I've moved in here, my feet are grounded," he explained. Morse has found it helpful to be living with other veterans who are experiencing similar struggles. He's comforted by a roommate who witnessed death in Somalia and another man who was having a hard time coping with the loss of his sister. The four men who live here have become part of their community, even chipping in to mow neighbors' lawns, said Ryan of Community Housing of Maine. That's not to say the setup, which includes regular visits by a social worker, has worked for everyone. One resident relapsed and moved out. "People don't always get well right away," Ryan said. But Morse has found hope in the routine of daily life. He's become a leader, installing fire extinguishers and helping with maintenance around the house. This spring he's looking forward to building a motorcycle. Morse said he was among the last soldiers to leave Vietnam in 1975. He's proud of his military service - he wears a Marines cap and displays a poster for National POW/MIA Recognition Day - but he's also deeply scarred. "I still have nightmares - wicked, wicked, wicked bad nightmares. And the V.A. gives me all kinds of pills to forget. And you know what? That's not the way to deal with it," Morse said. "If you're willing to sacrifice your life for the country, I think you should get a little compensation, especially if you're homeless." top San Francisco Hospitality House Offers Fine -Arts Studio for Homeless By Kimberly Turner, CORRESPONDENT SAN FRANCISCO — Artist. It's not the first word that comes to mind when most people think of San Francisco's homeless population. But that opinion may soon change if Central City Hospitality House gets its way. Located in the Tenderloin, Hospitality House's Community Arts Program offers the only free fine-arts studio for homeless and low-income artists in San Francisco. "It shows the community that we do more than just be homeless," said Connie Sato, whose painting "A Tribute to Dr. King" was featured in a recent exhibition. The exhibition, held at CounterPULSE, featured paintings, drawings and ceramics by Community Arts participants. The pieces were also for sale. Sato, originally from Colorado, has been coming to the studio for almost a year. She made the piece in January, the month of King's birthday, using pearlized tempera that she says makes the painting more "luminous." Although she has a business degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Sato has always been artistic and felt right at home in the studio. "It provides a space for people to use creative expression as an escape from the stress of living on the street," said Claude Moller, director of the Community Arts Program. Through the CAP's exhibition program, projects are showcased in several local galleries, and Hospitality House artists have the option of selling their work. According to Moller, 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their work goes to the artists. "It's a way to put money directly into their pockets in a way that is empowering for them," Moller said. The Central City Hospitality House was founded in 1967 in response to droves of young people who came to the Bay Area during the "Summer of Love." Some of these youths ended up homeless and living in the Tenderloin. Today, the drop-in center that simply offered food is now a multi-program organization offering a variety of services, including a shelter, counseling, employment help and, of course, art classes. "People's needs are more complex than just having a roof over their head," said Jenny Wiley, program director for Hospitality House. "They need to have an outlet to express themselves." Sato, who lives in a hotel near the studio, often comes in to paint when she is upset. "People treat you differently, like we're subhuman," Sato said. The 51-year-old has had it pretty tough since she moved to San Francisco a year ago. After getting "derailed" by health problems, Sato briefly lived at 39 Fell, a place she said is one of the roughest spots in the city. Several of CAP's participants have done so well expressing themselves artistically they have landed jobs. Milo Harkness-Smith, 22, the youngest artist at the recent exhibit, now works the front desk at the art studio. Originally from Dallas, Harkness-Smith found out about CAP while "hanging out in Civic Center." He soon went from "couch surfing" to showing off his artwork in some of San Francisco's local galleries. "I really don't like to assign a meaning to my work," he said, pointing to the watercolor pencil depiction of two fetuses in distress. Lynn Fulkerson, 60, whose layered yarn and color-pencil abstract piece was also on display, works as an instructor for the CAP's introduction to drawing and painting course. "We try to have participants in the driver's seat of the organization as much as possible," Moller said. Back at the art studio, which is decorated wall to wall with the artists' finished pieces, participants work on everything from ceramics to sketches. Artists Dave Seiler, Harry Driggs, Pepe Benjamin and James Johnson prefer working with clay, taking great care in shaping, sculpting and sandpapering their latest projects. Charles Blackwell, the studio's most animated participant and self-proclaimed class clown, keeps everyone entertained with his jokes and constant wisecracks. Blackwell, who has been coming to the studio for three years, said he used the studio to regroup after facing some "pitfalls in life." Most of his pieces are about life in the Tenderloin. "J.R. (Johnson) helps me keep my mental health together," Blackwell said poking fun at his friend. "I like that this place is real grass roots and down to earth." Working to meet the needs of the community is a principle that Hospitality House was founded on. "In the street it's a 'me-only' mentality," explained Sato. "When we're there (Hospitality House) it's more of an 'us' feeling. Within this seemingly distressed area, there is a sense of community." top Homeless Burdened By Serdar Tumgoren, Gilroy Dispatch Gilroy - The homeless in Sunnyvale will find haven from the cold and rain this weekend while their counterparts in Gilroy sleep under bridges, their fates chosen by the slow grind of bureaucracy and a lack of communication by local officials. "The community in Sunnyvale requested that we try to do something," said Hilary Barroga, a spokeswoman for nonprofit shelter provider EHC Lifebuilders, in San Jose. "I don't think that we really knew we could. It prompted us to look further into it." The nonprofit group, which operates winter homeless shelters at the National Guard Armories in both Gilroy and Sunnyvale, found a way to re-open at least one of them earlier this week. In response to the Sunnyvale request, they asked county officials to continue paying out $50,000 left over on the nonprofit group's contract to provide shelter services in both cities. County officials agreed, even though the $387,000 contract expired March 31. The decision means that up to 125 homeless people will find rest this weekend in a Sunnyvale church before returning to the city's armory for a month of shelter. South County's homeless, meanwhile, will find the doors of the Gilroy armory still closed. A week ago, as record rainfalls continued across California, more than 100 homeless spent their last night at the facility. And the decision to spend the money on Sunnyvale, rather than splitting it with South County? "I think we were just interested in getting a facility open as quickly as possible," Barroga said. "We're working with the South County cities to see if they can help re-open (their) facility," she added. "We definitely would like to be able to run the armory there, but we need the financial resources to do it." On Thursday, Gilroy Housing Coordinator Marilyn Roaf spoke with an EHC representative about the possibility of the city financing half of the $30,000 shelter cost for April. But that plan has not bubbled up from the staff level because "we don't have anyone that can make a decision around until next week," Roaf said. Both City Administrator Jay Baksa and Community Development Director Wendie Rooney were out of the office Friday. "It seems like a worthy thing because of the terrible weather," Roaf said, adding that "these are public funds so we need to go through the process." Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro and Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage, who represents South County, said they have not received any requests from city staff or the nonprofit group to help secure funding for extended shelter operations. "Nobody's called me and said there's a need," Gage said Friday. "If EHC calls me and they want something done, I'll make some calls." Meteorologists are predicting rain through Wednesday. top California City Lends Space to Homeless Former drifters put down stakes in self-governing tent community By FRED ALVAREZ Los Angeles Times VENTURA, CALIF. - Leonard Biga moved west from Maryland, hoping to find a steady job. When he didn't, he took to sleeping in his truck, then on the streets. Last winter, the 53-year-old carny was squatting with other homeless people under a two-lane bridge on the dry bed of the Ventura River when police, fearful of winter flooding, forced them out. Then something unexpected happened. At community forums on the relocation, he and other riverbed regulars began talking to one another. Soon they were demanding that they be given a place to stay where they could control their own destinies. Now Biga lives in a tent community called River Haven on city land near the banks of the Santa Clara River. He has a laminated ID card saying he belongs. He is an elected leader of the community, presiding over weekly meetings at which residents voice their concerns and vote on camp business. In the past seven months, he and about 20 other former drifters have fashioned a self-governing community, complete with rent and regulations. "I want to go back to being a real human being in society," Biga said. "I want to be recognized like a regular person again." As cities across the U.S. grapple with a rising tide of homelessness, city leaders in Ventura have embraced this housing experiment. They offered up land for River Haven, and this month they voted to extend that offer for a year. Tent cities have been established for the homeless in Portland, Ore., and Seattle. Similar communities have been proposed in Denver, Berkeley, Calif., and Tacoma, Wash. "We expect more to pop up," said Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "It's not the same thing as advocating for and getting housing for the poor, but it's a good alternative for the unsheltered homeless." top Wyoming Winds is published by the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless 907 Logan Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82001-5247 phone: 307-634-8499 fax: 307-634-9089 email: wch@vcn.com Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, its staff or board. Editor for this issue: Virginia Sellner. Copyrights revert back to the author upon publication. WCH is a 501(c)(3) all volunteer non-profit agency depending upon the community for funding. © 2005. Articles from other papers are published with permission of the paper listed with the article. **In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.** top