WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR THE HOMELESS IN THE IE

In 2015 we launched our "Make a Change Laundry Ministry" where 10 local homeless and/or low income individuals are invited to come and wash two loads of clothes for free. The focal point of this ministry is so that we can work one-on-one with each individual once a week. This allows us to draft a plan, implement task lists and goals, measure progress weekly, and maintain accountability for their role in doing the work to get off the streets. We have also partnered with #TeamHeartMinistries on many events and and projects since 2015. We currently have a shared storage with #TeamHeart which is where our #ClothesClosetMinistry and our #PostHousingMinistry is located.

Our Clothes Closet Ministry has a lot more than just clothing and is only used on those we are currently working with. The Clothes Closet includes warm weather and cold weather clothing for both men and women from all sizes, undergarments, socks, shoes, coats, jackets, sweaters, hygiene kits, towels, wash clothes, hand sanitizer, backpacks, large trash bags, prescription glasses, various medical supplies, interview / professional suits and dress suits, blankets, pillows, umbrellas, sleeping bags, belts, scarves, gloves, beanies, hats, emergency water, emergency snacks, misc. auto parts, and other misc. items.

Our Post Housing Ministry is used for individuals that have made it off the streets and into a home of their own but do not have anything to make it a functionable home. #LadiesOfTheIE in partnership with #TeamHeart try to help by providing the basics for these individuals which also helps in a smoother transition off the streets. Our Post Housing Ministry includes, various houseware such as dishes, silverware, cups, cooking items, table cloths, shower curtains, rugs, curtains, bedding & pillows, food packages, cleaning supplies, home decor items, large furniture items such as couches, beds, tables, and small & large appliances like a coffee makers, & refrigerators among other things.

In January of 2017 we accepted an offer to join the #UplandCommunityRestorationTeam through a hired contractor of the City of Upland as part of their street outreach & advocacy team to assist those experiencing homelessness in Upland. Since January 2017, together we have gotten 47 people off the streets and into permanent housing through various resources and programs. Included in those 47 are several VETS, those with mental health issues, disabilities, seniors, pregnant women, and whole families. We also play a role in post housing advocacy with the individuals we work with for at least 12 months after the individual has been housed by connecting them with various wrap around services.

We along with our friend and mentor Dr. Bunkers, brought the idea for permenant "No Panhandling" Signs to the City Manager to be installed in certain areas within the city of Upland. We were involved in the rendering process up through final edits. Upland's Panhandling Committee lead by Councilwoman Carol Timm has had an active role regarding these signs as well which is great to have a team working on such a complex issue.

We pride ourselves in not being your average style of "Advocates". It can be heard from us on occasion that "We will work our butts off with you, but we won't work harder than you to get YOU off the streets." We are not trying to make our local homeless so comfortable on the streets that the motivation to get off the streets is lost. We would consider that enabling and that is counterproductive to our goal. We work hard to make sure we are not enabling anyone by constantly evaluating our methods in what we do and what the common outcome is.

We want people to have a home, their own home and a life they deserve, a life they can be successful in and proud of. Some of the challenges to overcome in order to reach those goals are not all that easy and we understand that building a relationship and trust is imperative in this type of work; but at the same time we do expect to see the effort and authenticity in the actions of those we work with to get off the streets. This may not make everyone happy and even some other organizations or advocates may disagree with us. Our response to that is...We respect and appreciate ANYONE that goes out to help their fellow man regardless of any differences in methods used. However, we would offer this question to those that oppose our expectations of accountability...... "How many people get off the street with enabling vs. how many people get off the street with support, guidance, resources, hard work and accountability?" The proof is in the pudding that with our team members Team Heart and the CRT, what we are doing WORKS!!! We welcome anyone to come out and shadow us to see what we do and how we do it!

Lastly, what stands out to most people when we discuss what we do and how we do it; is that no matter what is donated to this project, be it monetary, non-monetary, or time....EVERYTHING gets filtered right back into the very community that they live in, that we live in, that our homeless live in and that YOU live in. With each success story it becomes more and more visible to everyone in the community so it is imperative to maintain this momentum and even increase it if possible. We can't do that without YOUR HELP so please join the #Servolution with us on this #GivingTuesday!!

#Servolution #InlandEmpire

#LadiesOfTheIE #GivingTuesday