Archive for March, 2012

Channel 2 aired this story on March 15, 2012 about the SOFT program and Freedom House’s participation in it. Read full story below.

Updated: Mar 15, 2012 5:02 PM CDT
By Sarah Thomsen

Green Bay – Area shelters say they continue seeing an increase in families facing homelessness.

The immediate need is prompting Brown County community leaders to take action, forming a new program already proving successful.

“The families that we’re serving are all local families. They’ve lived in the brown county area for a long time, and they’re falling on hard times and not able to keep a roof over their children’s heads,” says Crisis Center Program Director Tana Koss.

She sees family homelessness as a growing problem in the community.

With shelters like Freedom House full — and more than 50 families on its wait list — case workers agreed something else had to be done.

That something meant creating the program S.O.F.T. — Supporting Our Families Together.

Staff at the Brown County Crisis Center, Integrated Community Solutions and Freedom House designed this new program.

“So we’re working together to really stabilize shelter and the children,” says Koss.

For roughly two weeks, an entire family receives intense case management and assistance while staying in a motel paid for through S.O.F.T.

“The families that we serve are real survivors. They’ve done everything they can to meet the needs of their children, and this opportunity they welcome with open arms,” Koss says.

They work on budgeting, finding employment, and parenting or mental health assistance.

In its first year, S.O.F.T. served 65 Brown County families, including 166 children.

After just 26 days in S.O.F.T., Koss says they’ve seen an 85 percent success rate, where families have not had to seek shelter again.

“Once you can provide shelter and stability, everything else good comes from that,” she says.

Koss adds 94 percent of the children in the program improved attendance at school.

“I’m shocked at how successful a motel voucher and case management can be.”

Program leaders have a wish list of the following items needed by the families served by S.O.F.T.

Donations can be dropped off at crisis center, 300 crooks street, in green bay, 24/7. Because of space constraints, no clothing donations can be accepted.

Gas cards
meal coupons/gift certificates
rolls of quarters for laundry
bus passes
can openers
diapers
baby wipes
cleaning wipes (like clorox wipes to clean messes)
deodorant
toothbrushes and toothpaste
shampoo and conditioner
laundry soap
feminine products
foods that can be prepared in a motel room with limited resources & do not need refrigeration.

Children served by soft also often need car seats (still certified).

WBAY featured Freedom House and our new childcare program on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Read the full story below.

Freedom House homeless shelter to offer childcare
Updated: Mar 14, 2012 10:05 PM CDT
By Taky Ono

Green Bay – A local homeless shelter is starting to offer child care to help its residents get back on their feet, giving families more opportunities for a brighter future.

As a mother of twins and a five-month-old baby, Iesha Dukes is one of many residents at the Freedom House shelter excited about the free in-house child care program.

“I was dragging them around grocery stores, wherever I went,” Dukes said, referring to her kids. “I was going to the job center, and I got kicked out.”

The lack of affordable child care hurt her job prospects and kept her from going to school, Dukes said.

Crystal Champeau works at the day care. She can relate to Dukes’ struggles because she used to live at the shelter, too.

“Going to pick up applications and I’d get these looks from people, like, ‘How are you going to get a job if you can’t find somebody to watch your kids?’” Champeau said.

Now that Freedom House is a family daycare, Dukes sees her opportunities expanding.

“I’m going to get back working, get back to school, get a license, and then my own apartment,” Dukes said. “And eventually come back and share my story about how I did it.”

“It brings light to darkness for some of our families,” said Tameika Hughes, Freedom House Child care Administrator. “As a mother myself, it’s a beautiful thing to be able to have your children at a safe place.”

Freedom House plans to eventually expand the program to allow former Freedom House residents to take advantage of the free child care as well.

Below is WFRV’S story which ran on Tuesday, March 5, 2012.

You can visit the new daycare on Wed., March 14th at 4 PM during our Open House.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Freedom House has a new tool to help people get back to work.

The Freedom House opens its doors to roughly 100 families each year. At times 80 more families are on a waiting list.

It is the only homeless shelter in the county to serve families with kids and is now launching a free state licensed daycare for residents.

“We provide our families with the support that they need physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially to transition back into the community after they’ve been here” says Robyn Davis, President, Freedom House Ministries.

According to the facility’s Childcare Administrator, Tameika Hughes “one of the biggest concerns was well I can’t go get a job because I don’t have child care”.

Hughes knows the struggle first hand.

In 2004 she and her five kids found a fresh start at Freedom House, after leaving an abusive relationship.

“It has always been a passion for me to outreach to other single mothers who have been in the same situation I’ve been in” says Hughes. She now works on staff at Freedom House heading up the new daycare.

“A mom doesn’t have to tote her non-school aged children around with here as she’s looking for work or making appointments in the community… or in the worst case scenario have to turn down a job offer because there is no one to watch my children” says Davis.

When this daycare opens at The Freedom House it will only be for residents currently staying there, but plans are in the works to expand it.

Long term the non-profit hopes to offer affordable daycare to families who have moved out of Freedom House.

According to Hughes “our vision is to give peace to our families while they are looking for work, knowing that their kids are in a safe place”.

The daycare officially opens on Monday, March 12, 2012 followed by an Open House on Wed. March 14th at 4 PM.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW STORY:

Channel 5 Story on Freedom House Daycare

Freedom House is pleased to announce it has been licensed as a family daycare provider by the State of Wisconsin and can now offer full time, 5-days/week services to residents of the shelter who have no other childcare options. The homeless shelter passed inspection on February 24, 2012 and will begin offering the full time services starting Monday, March 12, 2012.
“There have been instances in the past when residents have had to turn down jobs because they had no one to care for their children – they’ve got no family they’ve got no friends and didn’t qualify for subsidized childcare,” said Robyn Davis, Freedom House President, “Turning down a job or a way to provide for your family because of a lack of childcare is quite simply NOT OKAY.”
Pioneer Credit Union has been providing childcare at the homeless shelter in the afternoons from 1-4 pm, a time when residents are required to be out in the community looking for work or housing, but the need for fulltime care has always been present and mushroomed in recent years as the need for shelter increased exponentially.

“The worst thing you can do is go out and look for a job with your 1 and 2 year old in tow,” said Tameika Hughes, lead house supervisor, family support specialist and childcare administrator for Freedom House. Tameika knows whereof she speaks – she’s a former resident herself, a single parent with five children when she entered Freedom House in 2004, someone who understands completely the struggles parents have caring for their children and trying to work full time jobs. “If you’ve lost a job within the past 6 months you don’t qualify for childcare assistance, and six months is a long time to wait to get a job,” she explained. “We wanted to find a way that these families can go to work.”
In addition to daily childcare coverage, the facility will also provide educational and growth experiences for all children under its care.
“Instability is a major issue for a child, and not having a home has a huge impact on them. We want to make Freedom House a home away from home, to help strengthen parents and help children grow, to bring some light into a dark situation,” said Crystal Champeau, childcare coordinator. Crystal also is keenly aware of the issues homeless families face; she was a resident of Freedom House in 2009 when her husband left her a single parent with four kids under the age of 6. “Families mean a lot to me. I want to help strengthen families here and I am very happy to be a part of the stepping stone residents are going through. I am very optimistic both parents and children can walk away healthier and happier than when they first arrived,” she explained.

The childcare center will be open from 7 am to 4 pm weekdays and is available only to current Freedom House residents. The plan is to also offer the facility to former residents with childcare issues and hopefully expand the time of coverage so people working swing shifts and weekends also have quality childcare options. The long-term vision is to eventually open it to members of the community and use the revenue it generates to fund Freedom House programs, but that’s a long way off.
“It’s stressful for everybody when you come into a homeless situation and if we can provide some stability, we can reach out to them, show them structure, give them a healthy meal and stability in learning activities so they can learn to keep their minds active – that’s how we can nourish families while Mom is out,” Hughes explained.
“I want our families that come through here to leave with possibilities; with knowing that they can do this. That’s always been my desire; I just want to give them hope. I want them to come through the doors at Freedom House and not look at it as rock bottom but have it be the best thing that ever happened to them,” Hughes said.

An open house to showcase the new facility will be held on Wednesday, March 14 starting at 4 p.m. The community is invited and encouraged to come discover all that’s going on at Brown County’s only shelter that serves all types of homeless families with children.

Freedom House was started in 1992 by a handful of Green Bay churches to address the growing issue of homelessness. Its vision is to provide programs that cause families to be successful in all areas of their lives – spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically, financially and intellectually. Since its inception, Freedom House has served 1,137 families and 2,268 children in the Northeastern Wisconsin area. Currently 11 families are in house with 11 adults and 24 children. Another 36 families are on an in-town waiting list (38 adults; 73 children).