THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, August 13, 1995                TAG: 9508130260
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON    PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   54 lines

EXPERIENCE SHOWS THAT `TOUGH LOVE' AND VARIED FACILITIES ARE MORE HELP TO THE HOMELESS

The staff of Judeo-Christian Outreach Center was overjoyed after reading Beth Barber's column ``Skimping on the homeless'' (Beacon, July 28). Since we began our shelter operation over five years ago, we have worked with homeless men, women and families to empower them to move toward sobriety and self-sufficiency. We teach residents that education, treatment and hard work are the necessary tools for a person to ``get off the street.'' Our program is based on love, but it is ``tough love.''

For the past six months, Susan Kowalske, our Women's Program director, and I have been sitting on the Homeless Advisory Committee and various subcommittees trying to develop a sensible plan to present to the city. Because of our ``tough love'' training, we tried to suggest things that we had found to be successful in our operation of our shelter. But we were accused of having no compassion. At one point, it was suggested that we should not be considered as a recipient of the federal grant funds the city expects to receive for a homeless program.

Because the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center is the only organization in Virginia Beach operating a permanent shelter and dealing with the same people that this new shelter will help, we thought that our insights would be helpful to this process. We were amazed at the reception of our ideas by some members of the committee. Like Ms. Barber, we too felt that bunking all homeless persons in a clearinghouse or ``flophouse'' would not only enable the alcohol/drug addicts in continuing their lifestyle of homelessness but would also ``attract'' other homeless people to the city of Virginia Beach from throughout the state.

We have sent our proposal on how the $800,000 should be spent to the city manager and City Council members for their review. We propose to use the $800,000 to build three separate facilities: a temporary emergency shelter, a substance-abuse facility and a day service center. These facilities would allow separate accommodations for single men, women, families and substance abusers.

Our staff, the Board of Directors, the vast majority of the 70 churches, synagogues and civic groups that support our ministry, as well as the majority of the homeless individuals who stay at our shelter, agree that our plan will not only offer temporary emergency shelter for individuals in crisis; it will also assist individuals and families in reaching self-sufficiency and moving to independent living.

Richard H. Powell

Executive Director,

Judeo-Christian Outreach Center by CNB