THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606190107
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 82 lines
The Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless reported year-end statistics on last year's efforts to shelter the city's homeless at a general meeting last week.
The five downtown churches that sheltered the homeless on a rotating basis last winter were open 119 nights, an increase of five nights over the year before. The organization sheltered 348 people during the cold months, an increase of 117 people over the winter before.
David W. Stephenson, president of the volunteer organization, pointed to the economy, the severe winter and even ``word of mouth'' as possible factors in the increase of the homeless the churches were seeing.
The organization now is planning for a seventh season and is looking for more churches - both to open their doors as shelters and to support those churches that do, according to Stephenson.
Currently, only five churches - mostly downtown - actually provide shelter, and 14 churches in Portsmouth and Chesapeake provide volunteers and meals.
The organization also needs monetary support to boost its treasury, which now has about $4,300.
The money must cover needs ranging from the cost of cleaning blankets to paying a sheriff's deputy to screen those showing up for shelter.
The meeting was held to try to get more churches and individuals interested in helping and to let people know the organization is still looking for a building, secretary Anne Long said later.
The program would remain a church ministry, but volunteers would go to one shelter rather than rotating the shelters into packed church fellowship halls.
Long said even if the organization does find a building, it probably would not be ready by winter. So for the upcoming season, the organization still is hoping that other churches will agree to take a turn at sheltering.
Only about three churches not already involved in the program showed up at last week's general meeting.
Long said she hoped to see that number go up as the summer ends and as people start to think about the colder winter months again.
The shelters serve mostly single men, but last year the sponsors saw more women and even families. According to information provided by Long, last year one woman ``spent a week at the shelter with her three small children. . . . Another woman stayed in the shelter for two weeks with two children who managed to do their homework and go to school daily while waiting for an apartment in public housing.''
On both occasions PARC Place, the local shelter for homeless families, was filled, according to the report.
Ray Wilcher, an elder of Green Acres Presbyterian Church, said his church got a flier on the program and that he attended the volunteer organization's meeting to get more information for his church.
``It seemed like a worthwhile program,'' Wilcher said. ``It seemed like it was very well-organized.''
The organization is in the process of incorporating independently of the Portsmouth Community Development Group. The homeless advocates temporarily had operated as an advisory board under PCDG for its tax-exempt status.
City Councilman Cameron Pitts attended the meeting and told the organization that too much help from the city probably would come with city control, which might not be what was wanted.
Pitts, however, said the organization should have no problem getting the city's endorsement and cooperation.
Stephenson said that endorsement and cooperation are what the organization wants from the city.
``I don't think this group is looking for the city to take this over,'' Stephenson said. The homeless program had been a good ministry for the churches, he added.
``It seems that it's an excellent mission for the churches and fulfills the New Testament doctrine of churches helping the poor,'' Pitts said later. ``I think, basically, my feeling is that it should be a church mission and not something that's going to be handed over for the city and the taxpayers to do.''
Long said the kinds of things she would like to see the city help with are services such as health screenings.
The Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless will reapply again this year for a federal grant that would help in its goal of one shelter offering a continuum of care geared to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
Already the group has served a handful of men in a transitional program. The program allowed the men to share a rented duplex and pay rent with money they earned doing renovation work for the Portsmouth Community Development Group.
Persons or organizations interested in more information on the homeless ministry should call Stephenson at 484-9534. by CNB