New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
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Newsbriefs Rethinking Homelessness since 1977
New Hope Housing, Administration Office 8407-E Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309 703-799-2293
Volume 19 Issue 5
February 27, 2015
The Journey Home– Nicole Dillon, Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator Going through the home buying process has made me understand and appreciate the great work that Case Managers and Housing Locators are doing. I moved to Northern Virginia in June of 2014 when my fiancé accepted a job here in Northern Virginia. We decided to give NOVA a try for one year and if the horror stories we had heard about the rude people here and the unbearable traffic were not true, we’d buy a house and begin to grow some roots here. It has been almost a year, and turns out we both love our jobs, our coworkers and new friends, and all the opportunities available to us here. Having no clue what to expect, we began the home buying process as first time homebuyers. I grew up in a small town located between Richmond and Williamsburg. I lived in Richmond my entire life except for the four years that I spent attending Roanoke College in the town of Salem, VA. While Salem operates at a slightly slower pace than Richmond, I’d say that life between these two cities is pretty comparable. The current median sales price for a home in Richmond is a little over $200,000. Growing up, we always had at least an acre of land on a wooded property and there were no HOA fees, condo fees, or restrictions attached to owning a property. We were pre-approved for a VA home loan for about twice that amount and began our search quickly realizing how little we could actually afford. For the price we would be paying for a townhouse in NOVA, we could have purchased a large home with land and all the bells and whistles in Richmond. We found homes we liked, but by the time we'd put in an offer, there was already a contract or multiple contracts on these homes. We were blown away by how quickly homes move in Northern Virginia and it’s not even peak home buying season yet. We eventually found a home and put in an offer. Thankfully, our offer was accepted after some negotiation and we began the journey to home ownership. I use the word journey to describe this process because buying a home has been an unexpected roller coaster ride of emotions. Mortgage lenders go through your entire life history with a fine toothed comb. They ask you for all of your bank statements, your credit card reports, drill you on your credit history, job history, past tax returns, and more. I have no criminal background and have a relatively good credit score. I have never missed a car or rent payment. Despite my relatively good financial history, the mortgage lender honed in on my job history. 2014 was an unusual year for me. I presented them with seven W-2 tax returns for 2014 and this was a huge red flag. I had many jobs in 2014, not because I was being fired or just got bored
and liked to job hop, but because, quite frankly, life happens! I had to write a letter to the lender explaining and advocating for myself. I was working hard at multiple jobs. One job I hated, and the others I was forced to leave because I was moving. This was a humbling experience for me and it showed me how important it is for us to be an advocate for our residents. If I, with relatively little other barriers, had to advocate for myself in order to purchase a home, I can only imagine the hoops that our residents must jump through to prove their stability. This process has given me time to reflect on the difficulties and challenges that New Hope Housing’s Housing Locators and Case Managers go through as you try to build a better life for our residents. You must teach our residents to be confident and fight for what they want. When hurdles pop up (like multiple people wanting to rent a unit and the leasing office trashes the clients application because there is a red flag) they must take a step back and then take a running leap over them! And if they trip and fall, to keep getting up and trying because eventually something will stick. I’ve learned from you that many of our residents had a bad break or they were never taught how to be financially stable in the first place. You give them the tools they need to succeed, prep them for what to expect and teach them how to present themselves when they have to explain their work and past housing situations. I want to congratulate and thank each and every one of you that work directly with residents day in and day out. You all continue to amaze me with the accomplishments and breakthroughs that you make for our residents everyday. Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Your ability to push through and find solutions for everyone is why New Hope Housing is such a successful organization. I’d like for you to take a moment to pat yourself on the back and remember all of your accomplishments and the smiles on the faces of all of your residents as they sign leases and open the door to a better life.
From Adversity To Triumph, We Shall Overcome!
Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church Thursday, March 5th from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm 2001 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306
Join us for an evening celebration of Black Culture. Program will include musical performances, special resident presentations, and good food!
Black History Month February 2015 in Metro DC Black History Month is celebrated throughout Metro DC in theatre, dance, music, visual arts and the spoken word. Check here for arts and culture events commemorating, honoring and focusing on the history and contributions that Black Americans have made to the United States.
For a listing of more Black History Month Celebration events in the Washington, DC area visit: http://culturecapital.com/feature/132/black-history-month-february-2015
In celebration of Black History & Culture
View & Share Your Thoughts!
Black Women Discuss Hair https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=cEbRQkr6LSU
What is Blackface? http://youtu.be/IPiIyu3rFOY At this year’s NBA All Star game, Beyoncé rocked a Scooter LaForge custom painted trench coat. Scooter is known for his pieces that feature caricatures, but critics of this particular artwork note that the big red lips, teeth, and bright eyes are reminiscent of the logo for Coon Chicken Inn—based on the Sambo art of the first half of the 20th century.
LITERATURE The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness With dazzling candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that "we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control—relegating millions to a permanent second-class status—even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness.
This training is MANDATORY for all staff who are not certified or need recertification. Please RSVP your attendance with your direct supervisor.
Friday, February 27th 9:00 am—3:30 pm Aldersgate Church (Guback Hall) 1301 Collingwood Road, Alexandria, VA 22308
Please see below for an easy reference of our Emergency and Inclement Weather Policy. If you have questions, please see your supervisor.
Section 4.8 Personnel Policy Manual: Emergency and Inclement Weather Conditions As a residential, emergency housing agency, New Hope Housing is to remain open and operating at full staff under any and all conditions. Extra planning and care should be made by staff to insure they are able to report to work as scheduled when there is inclement weather. Our residents need us more than ever during times of crisis in the community. Should an emergency or extreme weather condition exist that results in the Fairfax County government (not schools) closing, New Hope Housing will operate under “emergency status�. Under emergency status, residential staff is expected to report to work as scheduled and will be compensated at a rate of 1.5 times their normal pay rate for the hours they work during the time frame of the emergency status. Should an emergency or extreme weather occur after normal business hours when it is unlikely that Fairfax County government would make a determination about being open, the Executive Director will inform the executive team whether or not the agency is considered to be in emergency status. Should the Governor of Virginia declare a State of Emergency due to an extreme weather condition or other emergency, all staff is expected to stay where they are. Staff on site will be required to stay on site and staff at home is required to stay at home until the state of emergency is lifted and it is determined safe to be on the roads. Management staff is expected to check in with their teams to determine how they can best be supported during any emergency or crisis situation.
Congratulations to Ms. Binn who moved from shelter to housing! Khristina Koontz- (Case Manager)
New Hope Housing - Newsbriefs
Tava White sends kudos to: Ms Ollie- I honestly think I would go crazy these past 2 weeks! These past 2 weeks felt like any and everything that could’ve went wrong did and at times it was overwhelming, but having a GREAT team player like Ms. Ollie, definitely made a great difference. Thank you for your continued commitment and for just playing your part the way that you do!! From accompanying me when dealing with challenging HF situations, to always willing to just come in when we are short staff, despite having worked an extended shift the previous day and inclement weather, I could always count on you! For assisting our county assigned contact, advocating for clients, putting together and delivering meals, cooking dinner for Mondloch house, and helping out at EUKS!! Just your willingness to always go above and beyond and I love when you see a problem you’ll come to me to discuss and also have a solution for it! These past 2 weeks you have been my right hand and together we were able to work thru some challenging situations. I can always count on you Ms. Ollie & actually learn a lot from you! I need to know your secret to how you keep going! THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Alyss- for being the awesome case manager that you are! I know this week has been kind of tough with the facility issues and having to accommodate displaced residents, but you continued to work in those heels and meet the needs of your clients! YOU GO GIRL! Ashley and Chimere for being supportive and great team players.
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Ollie Dawson sends kudos to: Zach- Thanks for your teamwork with helping our MP residents during the incident that happened. Tava- Thanks for coming in and making sure the residents were placed in a warm and safe place and for making sure I received dry clothes and socks. Susan K.- Thanks for coming in to help with finding a new place for our MP residents to go, and for making sure everything we need was available. Tonya- Thanks for coming in to make sure our MP residents were ok after you had just shoveled snow out your drive way for 2 hours. Thanks for all of your efforts to find a place for residents to go. RSS staff at Kennedy for working 7 days a week to keep our shelter a safe place for residents to stay, and for handling so many residents due to the extremely cold weather. All of you ROCK! Steve L.-Thanks for continuing to make sure I receive all updated data sheets on new clients. Millie- Great job on the reports you are doing. Continue to ask questions. Pam Michell- Thanks for checking on everyone to see if we needed anything, and to make sure we could continue to provide support.
Lisa, Marion, Veronica and Clarence for being dependable and covering shifts!
Jan- Thanks for sending the email out about Mondloch Place needs during the crisis. What a great response! Thank you so much for making it happen by getting food and gift cards for residents.
Zach and Stacey for your continued hard work and dedication!
Jo- Thank you for making sure we were all ok and for the support.
Martha Faconer sends kudos to:
Mike D. –Thank you for checking in on MP and for offering your help.
Jeff and Eddie for their diligence in handling outreach and in-kind donations. Tonya, Susan K., Ollie, Clarence, and Tava for effortlessly responding to the Mondloch Place crisis.
Alyss- Thanks for going around helping with the hotel food runs. It’s a big help!
OPEN POSITIONS New Hope Housing is currently accepting resumes for the following job opportunities:
On Call Resident Service SpecialistsMondloch House/Mondloch Place/Kennedy/ACS Responsibilities include monitoring the shelter, answering the phones, greeting visitors, and most importantly interacting in a positive manner with our residents. $13.13 an hour. 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. $13.13 an hour. EOE/ADA that values diversity. On-Call Residential Service Specialist for Susan’s Place and Max’s Place On-Call Residential Services Specialist (RSS) for chronically homeless adults with substance abuse/mental illness/or co-occurring disorders located in Arlington and Falls Church Virginia. Must be able to establish rapport and build trust with residents and be comfortable working in a program with few rules. Need to be flexible and have an ability to handle crisis situations. RSS will assist Outreach Counselors with leading life skills groups/activities, cooking and cleaning with residents and general upkeep of the house. RSS monitors residents medication. Must be able to work well independently and must be reliable. Provides On-call coverage. Must have a valid driver’s license and BA in behavioral science or related field. Experience can be substituted for education. BSW preferred. Two years experience with homeless adults, adults with mental illness or substance abusers. Counseling and crisis intervention skills. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Salary is $13.13 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/ADA that values diversity!
FEBRUARY Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
20
21
27 Staff CPR/First Aid Training
28
PAYDAY 15
16
17
18
19
22
23
24
25
26
Team Meetings
Name
Location Sacramento Drive Every Wed ACS Every Wed EUKS Every Thu
Next Steps Team ACS Team EUKS Team Housing 1st and Bridging Affordability Gartlan, Susan's, Max's, Just Homes Team Mondloch House and Mondloch Place Team Community Services Team
Name
Month
PAYDAY
Dates
Times 9:15am 2pm 2pm
MP Conf Rm Susan’s Place
4th Tues of each month 3rd Tues of each month
MH Conf Rm
Every 1st Wed of each month
Admin
2pm 10am 11:30am
Every 1st Monday of each month
10am
Day
Shanice
Gomire
Feb
1
Veronica
Letsinger
Feb
3
Jo
Mullen
Feb
4
Nicole
Dillon
Feb
10
Luis
Franco
Feb
12
Joseph
Gouss
Feb
12
Alex
SaintFleur
Feb
14
Essie
Marble
Feb
17
Tava
White
Feb
24
Kevin
Coleman
Feb
28
Name
Month
Day
Years
Gary Steele
Feb
8
10
Troy Skeen
Feb
4
1
Stephanie Sheehan-Felix
Feb
28
4
Janine Rushing
Feb
9
6
Susan Keenan
Feb
14
15