Serving the Homeless and Disadvantaged in Pima County, Arizona

Outreaches
(1—3 PM, 939 S. 10th Ave. at 19th St.-Inner City
Harvester’s Church)
Apr. 13 & 27
May 11 & 25
June 8 & 22
July 13 & 27
Weekday Clothing, Meal, Pantry, &
Bible Studies:
Mon. 1-3
Wed. 9-12
Fri. 10-12

FAITHFULLY PLODDING
Our format is a little different this issue as we want to inform you of some imminent needs and of a change in how our vision is enfolding. If you have taken the time to read this—in our busy world—I believe God is tugging on your heart to become more informed/involved in our community’s care of its homeless and needy—a population which is growing, in spite of increased social services. Please search your memory bank AND your circle of acquaintances as to how some of the needs we are bringing in this newsletter could be met. I believe someone on this mailing will be super blessed by leading us to valuable resources.

Epaphrus (Col. 1:7), was described as a faithful minister of Christ. Bob Yandian, in an article entitled “The Plodder” made the following statements: “A faithful person is a plodder. Without much outside motivation, a plodder keeps moving each day, driven by their mission and the Word of God in their heart. A plodder does not become (too) weary in well doing…. The important thing is not who starts, but who finishes. Finishing is much more difficult. That is why many are at the starting line, but only a few cross the finish line. God is not interested in how many begin with Him. He is more interested in how many finish. This is reserved for the plodder. Remember, the one who won the race was the tortoise, not the hare.” Betty Bitgood, Chairman & Plodder
_____________________

Volunteer Profile: David Wlazlak, born in 1971, was raised in Batavia, New York. He has worked in corrections in Virginia and Arizona. He and Kristie have been married 10 years. His love of the Lord and of his co-workers has given him favor and last Oct. he became the first U.S. Customs Chaplin in Arizona. He has written several books and is currently working on a devotional for law enforcement officers. David is a regular minister and Bible teacher at Hope of Glory.

---

We are asking for your help in finding a new location for our Hope of Glory Outreach to the homeless and needy.  Presently we are at 10th Ave. & 19th Street and serve about 170 people weekly with a hot meal, pantry, clothing, personal hygiene items, bus passes, direction to services, prayer, Bible Studies and/or a service.  We have been asked to cut our rented space at Inner City Harvesters Church considerably and do not feel we can operate there without the office or storage space they are requesting (since we are increasing our services to include case management for a grant we have for Employment Readiness and a grant we expect to get for ID Documentation filing.)
We are looking for approx. 120 sq. ft. of offices and 120 sq. ft. of storage, with use of a kitchen and dining hall 3 (partial) days a week and 2 Sunday afternoons monthly.  We can adjust our schedule if necessary.  We desire to stay in the same general area as our guests do rely on our services. A similar church property would be ideal as zoning for our operation is limited and we are not legally “a church.” Since we are supported by private funding (with the exception of a small FEMA grant for our pantry) our means are stretched, but God ALWAYS provides. Portable office or school building(s) would answer many of our needs if we are able to stay at our present location.

---

A Call to Action
We are interested in acquiring a building site for a 3-phase project, the Hope Center, which will provide temporary shelter and respite care to families and individuals in need. The facility will serve as a high performance hub for an integrated network of service providers linked strategically through the Tucson Planning Council for the Homeless (TPCH).

Need for Facilities is Well Documented
Urgently needed in Tucson, is a place for medical respite care. As Phase 1 of the Hope Center we propose a single story, 25-50-bed facility for this use – acute and post-acute medical care for homeless persons who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets, but who are not ill enough to be in a hospital.

In the June 2007 – June 2008 Pima County Action Plan, #5 of the six areas of need is to “Improve discharge planning and develop housing options for homeless people coming out of medical or correctional facilities who need convalescent medical care. There are few options for homeless people who need medical or nursing care beyond what can be provided in emergency or transitional housing.”

Bill Magnotto ofLa Frontera Sonora House & past TPCH President stated: “The reasons we need a Homeless Medical Respite Care Facility are many.  The most obvious is the fact that the homeless population is getting older.  An older population requires more medical needs especially when they have not taken care of themselves in their younger years.  The homeless population leads a lifestyle that deteriorates their physical and mental health.  This leads to serious conditions such as stroke that requires care not normally provided to the homeless.  I am not aware of any program in Tucson that deals with this problem.”

As a result of a Nov. 17, 2006 article by the Associated Press, published in the New York Times: “Hospital Charged With Dumping Homeless Patient” made national news and resulted in a “60 Minutes” documentary. There are many other similar documented cases nationally including hospital and other institutions—nursing homes and prison facilities—releasing the sick. Locally, agencies and shelter facilities report having to frequently refuse sick people and try to help those “dumped.” Hope of Glory has experienced this as well.

Why this is a Good Idea
In addition to this being the right thing to do, we expect to see huge savings to the community in unnecessary emergency room and ambulance costs and ultimately in loss of life.

How Hope of Glory fits into the Pima County Plan to End Homelessness
There are many organizations involved with meeting the needs of our city’s homeless and poverty level citizens, however NONE have the necessary medical teams and facilities needed for this endeavor. We have long seen the need for more consistent and comprehensive medical treatment for the homeless which was part of our original vision for the Hope Center. Since many groups have identified this as crucial, we decided to make this our initial priority:

Phase I: A 1-story 25-50-bed facility for medical respite care (acute and post-acute medical care for homeless persons who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets, but who are not ill enough to be in a hospital)

Phase 2: A30,000 square foot, 2-story, emergency shelter facility for men, women and children with on-site services.

Phase 3: 25 units of family transitional housing.Ideally a 10 acre site near downtown close to city services, would best serve the Center and its residents.

---

Thank You!

We have a NEW Advisory Board which has been a great blessing:

Linda Leatherman, Faith Based Coord. Pima County

Rich & Debbie Pinnell, Bag Lady Project

Randy Reynolds, Community Renewal

Linda Sparks, Business Development Consulting (Linda Sparks has helped us frame the information included in this newsletter.)

 __________________

“Hope of Glory has helped me in so many ways: I come for Bible Studies and Sunday services and they have helped me get my ID and provide bus cards. I also help whenever I have a chance with clean-up. “   Danny

---

FYI — In 2007
We served approx. 8840 meals
Gave out 3,465 Pantry Food Bags
Gave out 1,398 Bags Clothing
Gave out 1,147 2-way Bus Passes
$556 in Checks for Birth Certifi-
cates & AZ Identification
PLUS Personal Hygiene Items,
Case Management & Prayer