giving back
StreetLight Ministries Helping the Homeless One Week at a Time By Olivia Overman
W
hat began as an outreach ministry of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church in Woodbridge, Virginia has transformed into an integral charity helping the homeless in the Prince William community. StreetLight Community Outreach Ministries was formed as a nonprofit in 2004, with the primary goal of raising money to house the homeless. Today, the ministry owns three houses and leases six apartments used for the homeless, runs a food pantry and clothing closet, runs a year-round shelter, provides cooked meals on a weekly basis to those in need and also provides financial assistance for crisis needs, such as rent evictions, rental deposits and utilities. StreetLight is also currently fundraising for the Hope Center Project, a facility that will provide affordable housing for homeless adults.
Harvest Banquet Every week for the past 20 years, StreetLight has served a buffet dinner to an average of 150 homeless men, women and children. “Area churches and civic groups participate in a rotation schedule to serve at this dinner each Wednesday night where approximately 25 volunteers and six staff serve the homeless a wholesome dinner,” said Rose Powers, executive director of StreetLight Community Outreach Ministries. But it is not just food that is being served at the banquet; StreetLight also has three case managers available to assist those attending with case-management issues as well as to provide other services such as I.D. replacement, clothing, propane distribution and spiritual counseling. Asked how they get the word out to the homeless, Powers said “We have been hosting this event for 20 years; the homeless learn of this event easily through word of mouth. Our outreach case manager also visits campsites on a weekly basis to assess needs and build relationships, but he also reminds the people
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April 2020 prince william living
of the dinner. Many of the same people do attend week after week. Regular attendance is encouraged, because it allows us to strengthen relationships and to speak into their lives with the ultimate goal to help them obtain jobs or benefits and to help them obtain permanent housing.”
Food Pantry and Clothing Closet StreetLight has a food pantry that provides a variety of meat products, fresh produce, canned foods, boxed foods, bread and some dairy products to those in need every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Supplies for the pantry are collected on a daily basis from three area grocery stores and 10 restaurants.
Supportive Housing At StreetLight, housing is considered a basic need that plays an important role in an individual’s wellbeing, health, safety and quality of life. As such, the charity provides permanent supportive housing for 25 individuals who are either disabled, medically fragile or considered chronically homeless. Group housing is provided on a same-sex basis, with each individual receiving his/her own bedroom while sharing common living areas. StreetLight recently took over operation of the PWC Thermal Shelter and extended its operation to a year-round shelter. “Through the StreetLight Overnight Shelter, we are able to provide shelter, a wholesome dinner, showers and case management support for 48 homeless adults every night of the year. This is the only county shelter where many of our homeless adult population are allowed to stay,” said Powers. Supportive services include case management, life skills support, job readiness, placement in recovery programs, and
