THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503170273
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
The city is hoping to secure a share of $900 million in federal money earmarked for the nation's homeless to help operate a proposed shelter and services center in Virginia Beach.
Last year the city received $800,000 in federal grant money, and a Homeless Advisory Committee is studying ways to use those funds, including building, buying or leasing a homeless facility.
To meet the April 7 grant application deadline, the committee Wednesday directed administrators of two groups that now feed and shelter Virginia Beach homeless to write a joint grant application.
David Sullivan, regional vice president of Volunteers of America Chesapeake Inc., and Richard Powell, executive director of Judeo-Christian Outreach Shelter, will prepare a grant application under the guidance of Andrew Friedman, Virginia Beach Housing and Neighborhood Preservation Department director.
A program subcommittee presented to the full Homeless Advisory Committee its recommendations Wednesday for a proposed facility. The subcommittee outlined a 24-hour center that would provide services and food to as many as 100 homeless daily and shelter overnight up to 75 people on site, including some families.
Brenda McCormick, executive director of Mothers Inc., objected to the proposal, citing several unaddressed issues, including medicine for the homeless and other human rights protections.
Friedman assured McCormick that her points would be discussed and recommendations on them included in a final plan to be brought to the City Council in July.
Staffing for the center would have to come from city agencies, including the Health and Social Services departments and the Community Services Board.
Continued church involvement also is key to the proposal. City churches now provide meals and fellowship as well as overnight shelter to the homeless on a rotating basis through the city's Winter Shelter Program. The new proposal calls for church volunteers to provide meals, fellowship, financial assistance, clothing and toiletries, but at a permanent facility.
The proposed service shelter would give the homeless a place to store a limited amount of belongings in lockers, transportation when not otherwise available, and phone and mail-drop service. These services, the subcommittee believes, would increase the likelihood that unemployed homeless would find jobs and become self sufficient.
The planned center's contracted service provider would offer services such as basic life skills training, job training, education and substance abuse counseling.
The Department of Social Services would provide intake and eligibility assessment and mentoring programs.
The Community Services Board would screen facility users for substance abuse, mental health and mental retardation cases, referring suitable cases to outside agencies.
The Department of Health would offer tests and immunizations on-site.
Other agencies - such as the Virginia Employment Commission, Tidewater Legal Aid, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous - would be invited to provide services to users of the facility both on and off site.
A site subcommittee has not yet recommended where such a facility would be located.
The full committee will meet again March 29.
KEYWORDS: HOMELESS INDIGENT PEOPLE
by CNB