New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
Newsbriefs Rethinking Homelessness since 1977
Page 1 New Hope Housing, Administration Office 8407-E Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309 703-799-2293
Volume 22 Issue 9
October 21, 2016
QUARTERLY MEETING RECAP A phone that connects you with deceased loved ones – a teleportation device – a music player that’s embedded in your brain – color-changing, music-playing boots – and the best new game for tail-gating. What do these have in common? They’re the ideas that arose from teamwork and brainstorming at the Quarterly meeting on October 11th. Jan Sacharko kicked off a workshop on the concept of “Yes, And” which is the basis of all improv comedy games and a great game to play to improve teamwork. Improv comedy is all about teamwork and collaboration. Whatever ideas or storylines that are developed during an improv comedy sketch, each player takes their teammates’ ideas and builds on them. When an idea is shared, the team says “yes” “and” then makes it even better. If teammates don’t support each other on stage, the team falls apart, the performance falls apart, and the audience wants their money back. “Yes, And” can make meetings and brainstorming sessions much better. Have you ever been in a meeting and been asked to brainstorm ideas? Far too often, you boldly suggest an idea and someone else shouts it down; maybe they even call your idea dumb. No one else wants to suggest any ideas after that and the meeting breaks down. But what if the next time you suggest an idea at a team meeting, your coworker next to you says “YES!”? And then they build on your idea. Suddenly, everyone may begin adding details and suggestions to see if they, as a team, can make this idea work. Maybe it doesn’t end up being an idea you can do right now, but other ideas spring from this one and soon we have something we can use. Maybe it is the best idea ever, and now you have a whole team supporting it that wants to make it happen. Either way, the team worked together and supported each other throughout. When we know we can trust our team, we’re not afraid to make mistakes or sound stupid. We know that our teammates are listening to us and want to help. We know that they’re here to accomplish the same goals. Our entire New Hope Housing team has a big mission – We End Homelessness. With each person we serve, there are going to be problems to solve. We are going to need to ask each other for help, for ideas, and for solutions. With hypothermia season just a few days away, we’re going to soon be in our busiest time of the year with many more people seeking help. Teamwork and collaboration as always is going to be critical to help each person that comes to our doors to find their way back to housing or to help that person keep their housing. Go team. If you’re curious to learn more about “yes, and” and the value of teamwork, here’s a good article: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/crosspollination/2014/03 improv_comedy_and_business_getting_to_yes_and.html
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We also expressed our congratulations to EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER
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Steven Lonon
A R T E R L Y
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“I can’t say enough about Steve’s level of commitment, and dedication to the residents. Specifically, Steve shows extreme patience when working with our residents with limitations and challenges.” - Tonya Golden (EUKS Director)
E C A P
Congratulations and thanks for your hard work and dedication to New Hope Housing!
WELCOME NEW
On Call RSS Kennedy Shelter/FCHS
BioI’m the only girl! I have 8 brothers and I have 2 sons. My eldest son is 33 years old and the youngest is 25 years old. I have credentials in the child care field, and I love taking care of people. I also love caring for the elderly (including my 87 year old mother) and adults who are experiencing unfortunate circumstances.
Fun & Interesting Facts
I love reading books from my Kindle Fire!
I love surprises
I meet no strangers; I get along with everyone!
Projects & Highlights brought to you by Volunteer Coordinator
Sami Smyth
ROOM MAKEOVER for the Richard family’s two boys by Kaiser. The Kaiser team deep cleaned the apartment, built bunk beds, painted a chalkboard wall, and donated some amazing Star Wars themed toys and decorations for the boys.
NC State International Student Volunteers at ACS on October 7th! We had a great discussion on homelessness, comparing and contrasting DC vs. NOVA and discussing solutions to ending homelessness such as Housing First, affordable housing, and PSH support.
Webinar Available On Demand November 15th, 2016 at 12:00pm
Holidaze: How to Enjoy the Holidays and Minimize Holiday Stress Is stress getting in the way of your holiday enjoyment? Explore ways to minimize the tension and increase the fun for all involved. To View Webinar On Demand visit the INOVA EAP Website: 1. www.inova.org/eap 2. Click on “Member Login” 3. Enter Username: newhopehousing 4. Enter Password: Mondloch 5. To access webinar, on homepage click on “Online Seminars” link. You no longer need to register in advance to attend Online Seminars at a set time. Seminars will be prerecorded and uploaded on the third Tuesday of each month. If you have questions, type them into the "Ask a question" box. You will receive an e-mailed answer within five business days. All questions and answers will be posted on the FAQ tab. Please get prior approval from your supervisor if you will view webinar during work hours.
Heath Thayer sends Kudos to:
Martha Faconer sends Kudos to:
Stephen- for doing a most excellent Spiderman impersonation while changing out Mondloch House’s conference room light bulbs.
C.J. and Roxanne for staying on top of the work orders for Mondloch Place. Thank you both so much!
Denae and Christian- for assisting with covering shifts and multiple other duties while Stacey was out. Alyss- for finding our near un-placeable client placement that perfectly suits his needs. Stacey- Welcome back! Kudos for jumping right back into things. We all missed you.
Jan Sacharko sends Kudos to: Melissa Davis, Alyss Aune, Bahira Parker, Luis Francothank you for helping me meet resident speakers for our breakfast video! Tonya Golden- thanks for all the statistics and facts on Kennedy! Ollie Dawson- thanks for helping me get set up for the tour last Wednesday! Jeff Lisanick– thanks for speaking to Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church for me! Anthony Johnson– thanks for following up on furniture donation calls!
Roxanne thank you for running around getting proxy cards. Ollie for putting away the big donation from Trader Joe’s. Thanks so much! LaKesha for ALL that she does. The extra work she does for the kitchen staff. Thank you so much!
Nicole Dillon sends Kudos to: Thank you to everyone who attended and volunteered at our 2nd Annual Giving Hope Breakfast. I appreciate all of your work and positive attitudes so bright and early in the morning. This event would not have been nearly as successful as it was without your support. Jan, Pam, Sami, Chavon, Shaun, Shawn V., Jo, Khristina, Simajah, Oliver, Paul, Tonya, Jeff, Alyss, Chandra, LaKesha, and Martha, THANK YOU!
Osborne West sends Kudos to: Latasha for being a great supervisor! Stephen Maxey Kudos to:
Paul Kola– thanks for the introduction to C2C media and your great work with residents!
Heath for helping to get the lights into play in the conference room at Mondloch House.
LaKesha McGuire– thanks for your help staying organized at the office!
C.J. for continually helping me with all the heavy lifting at Mondloch Place and always being quick to help out.
Nicole Dillon– thanks for all the work on the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony!
Eddie for always being on the ball whenever we get called to handle any situation.
Sami Smyth– thanks for coming in on the weekend and staying late to meet new volunteers! Nicole- Thanks for rushing to help a client that was in an emergency need. He’s happy, thanks.
Sami Smyth sends Kudos to: Samir and Jan for helping make the Kaiser project a success. Nicole for doing such great work on the Giving Hope Breakfast and managing the NC State project. Jo Mullen sends Kudos to: Eddie, Stephen, Martha, and A.J. for giving me a tour of the storage unit. There is stuff in there to use folks, so if you need something for a client, please ask Operations. They know where stuff is, and can pull it. Thank you operations for trying to keep the files stuff in good shape. It’s not bad and we will get it cleaned out and organized! Special thanks to Eddie, he always keeps the business file boxes in order and can lay his hands on anything! Shawn V. and Shaun D. for getting a very little known but very important quarterly report done. Thank you! LaKesha for all the things she does. I could take up pages of Kudo’s for her and what she does. It’s amazing. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Vincent and Tek; so quiet and focused on your work. But it doesn’t go unnoticed. You keep the wheels in motion. Steve Lonon-CONGRATULATIONS!! I wish I could have been at the meeting but couldn’t. We go way back, and I’m just so happy for you! Jan, Nicole, and Sami for a great breakfast gathering. Everyone was so happy and talking about the video and the program. Paul for so easily being a team player and assisting in any way he can. We are very lucky to have you.
KUDOS to Ollie for the Halloween theme office. Everyone has to come by and see it. It’s best if you turn out the lights. BEWARE: it’s a little scary…..
New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
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OPEN POSITIONS IMMEDIATE NEED SPREAD THE WORD! PSH Full Time Outreach Counselor Provide case management services and house coverage from 8am-4pm Monday-Friday at our group home in the Arlington. The group home is part of New Hope Housing's permanent supportive housing programs, serving 6 single adults with mental illness. Will also provide case management support to 3 scattered site Housing First units in Arlington. Daily activities may include routine case management duties (this is a HUD program, therefore paperwork can be heavy at times), life skills, engaging with residents, and proactively seek opportunities to assist residents to be positive members of society. Assist residents in finding appropriate services and transportation to get to appointments. Will rotate the on-call phone with other team members. BA/MA degree and considerable experience working with adults with serious mental illness; ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; experience with chronically homeless adults; strong counseling and crisis intervention skills; flexibility, creativity, and leadership skills; ability to make decisions independently and work autonomously and as part of a team. Some evening hours are required to meet residents’ needs. Must have a valid driver's license, be able to provide an acceptable DMV record, have reliable transportation, and be able to drive agency vehicles as needed. $43,000/year EOE/ADA that values diversity.
If interested, please send resume to hr@newhopehousing.org New Hope Housing is proud to be an EOE that values diversity!
New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
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OPEN POSITIONS Residential Service Specialist Full Time Position - Alexandria Community Shelter 12 am to 8am Monday thru Friday Duties include: In this position you will serve the residents residing at Alexandria Community Shelter that serves single adults and families 24/7. You must be reliable, on time, and willing to work with a diversified group of residents that may suffer from some form of mental illness, addictions, or both. Daily duties include: interaction to assist residents when they are in the shelter, answers telephone, greet all guests, including donors, staff, and outside agency individuals. You will be the face of New Hope Housing to donors and volunteers on your shift. Will maintain alert, and provide good documentation in log book of activities on your shift. Will assist with medication dispensing along with your team worker. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications include: Successful experience working with residents in similar environments, understanding of the NHH philosophy, dependable, reliable transportation, flexible, good with people, basic computer skills, etc. Salary is $14.13 an hour with benefits. EOE/ADA that values diversity.
On Call Resident Service Specialists- Kennedy Shelter & Alexandria Community Shelter Responsibilities include monitoring the shelter, answering the phones, greeting visitors, and most importantly interacting in a positive manner with our residents. Must be flexible, dependable, and have the ability to work with a diversified group of individuals. A High School diploma or GED is necessary, and previous experience with the homeless/mentally ill a plus. Successful candidates will be called to duty when we are short staffed. Hours are flexible, not scheduled, and you must be willing to cover shifts at a moment’s notice. $14.13 an hour. EOE/ADA that values diversity.
If interested, please send resume to hr@newhopehousing.org New Hope Housing is proud to be an EOE that values diversity!
New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
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PAYDAY 9
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Staff Quarterly Mtg. 16
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PAYDAY 24/31
Team Meetings
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Name
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Location ACS EUKS
ACS Team EUKS Team
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Dates
Times 2pm 1pm
Every Wed Every Thu
Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday Rotating Locations of each month
PSH Team Community Services Team
Admin
Name
Month
Day
Kenneth Hinkel
October
1
Sheila Keahey
October
7
Alpha Abdul-Rahman
October
12
LaVora Hiligh
October
14
Lekealem Fortaboh
October
14
Candice Udodi
October
18
Gregory Goettlich
October
19
Christina Trotter
October
20
Anthony Johnson
October
21
Simajah Jackson,
October
31
Every 1st Monday of each month
Name Marian Washington Stacey Osborne Darcel Darby LaKesha McGuire Donna Pusey Jocelin Canas Clarence Jones Arisha Assaf Simajah Jackson Chavon Bell Tujuanda Blalock Tonya Henderson Brandon Wright Alexcia Thomas Melonie Penkala
Month October October October October October October October October October October October October October October October
10:00am 10am
Day Years 12 14 14 8 25 6 22 4 3 3 7 3 21 3 22 3 20 2 27 2 7 1 9 1 20 1 26 1 19 1