H.O.M.E. Word – A blog from Project H.O.M.E.

Last Friday was the first anniversary of the Grand Opening of our Connelly House residence in Center City.  One of the many highlights of that beautiful building is a stunning stained glass mural by prominent Philadelphia artist Meg Saligman.  Meg is currently working with us again, to create artwork for JBJ Soul Homes (to open next winter) and for our 25^th anniversary in 2014. 

Below are remarks from Emily Riley, Executive Vice President of the Connelly Foundation and a Trustee of Project HOME, at last year’s Grand Opening, in which she describes Meg’s beautiful mural and how it functions to honor the Connelly Family, whose foundation has been a major partner of Project HOME for many years.

 

When you enter its doors you will be greeted by a magnificent stained glass mural created by Meg Saligman entitled “There’s Always Room For One More” (a favorite expression of my father’s).  It was commissioned and underwritten by loyal and generous friends of Project HOME.

Meg Saligman is not only a gifted artist, but she is an ingenious communicator who poses thoughtful questions, gleans unexpected bits of information, listens carefully, and transforms grey, cerebral musings into a vibrant, inspiring work of art.

As you will see, the mural is a metaphor bringing together the ideas, affections, and concerns of residents, donors, staff, and all those who have dreamed of a better future plus memories of objects and people who influenced their lives.  Look closely and you will see the water of the Well of Bethesda continuing to provide sustenance, a treasure book, a patterned blanket giving warmth, a solitary chair awaiting a tired body, and a long line of men and women perhaps seeking shelter or leaving, having been refreshed.

Surrounding the mural is a sparkling frame of icons: a Star of David, a Mercy Cross, a lucky horseshoe, an Irish harp, a St. Joseph’s University “hawk,” a “Jimmy coin” (recognizing courage), profiles of residents, a sedakah (Jewish symbol of charity), and Native American feathers from a resident’s door … symbols of the many people of various backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities who have given their time and resources to make Connelly House a home.

Josephine and John Connelly have a place of honor in the mural.  My mother was gracious – full of life and good humor, and she is placed among the gardenias that were her favorite flowers.  John Connelly, who was direct, never petty, generous and energetic, is accompanied by the Connelly Containers water tower, and Crown Cork & Seal cans and crowns that were symbols of his successful business career.

They were on their honeymoon in 1938 – releasing pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, Venice.  We like to think that this image represents the open hand, hearts, and wallets that enabled them later to touch so many lives.

The Connelly family, children and grandchildren, plus the Board of Trustees of the Connelly Foundation, were unanimous in agreement over the name of Connelly House because the leaders of these collaborating organization share the same moral strength, business acumen, and “hard to define” leadership qualities that our parents possessed.

Leaders are individuals who make what may seem impossible …. a reality.

To close with a quote from John Quincy Adams:  “If your actions inspire others to dream more .. to learn more … to do more … and to become more … then you are a leader.”

Yesterday, we printed an article from our News from HOME newsletter about the Hub of Hope.  Today, we print a personal reflection from Kat Delancey about her experience as a volunteer at the Hub.

 

The Hub of Hope was a winter imitative ran by Project HOME’s Outreach Coordination Center in collaboration with other social service agencies. The target was the chronically homeless population that usually hangs or sleeps in the concourse of the SEPTA transit system.  I had the pleasure to be able to volunteer my time this year as I struggled with my own personal issues.  I wanted to share by experience of the Hub of Hope.

I have struggled with mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness since the age of 16. I originally had my own apartment, but soon lost it in May of 2011. I then became homeless again, sleeping pretty much on the streets because I am transgender and struggled with the homeless system to understand me, which is why I just would simply stay on the streets.

The Hub of Hope was a winter drop-in and engagement center for persons who experience chronic homelessness. It was located in the Suburban Station concourse.The Hub of Hope was a winter drop-in center for chronically homeless persons living in the subway concourse and on the streets.I remember one day, walking passed the Hub of Hope's location, Suburban Station. I walked in and immediately fell in love! I asked if volunteers were needed. The answer was yes! I thought I would be a perfect candidate as I know all too well about what the struggle looks like.

Karen Orrick (who ran the program) was simply amazing! The woman has a bunch of energy and a willingness to learn. It only took me one time to explain my gender identity to her, and that was that. Karen also took the time out of her busy schedule to attend a meeting regarding  me getting my own apartment again and advocated for me very well.

Odell Brown (case aide) was always humble! There was a time when I was struggling with the demons that I fight within on a daily basism, and Odell took the time out to give me some good insight about where I want to go in my life. Odell has a good heart and cares about people, but he also see's right through you. If he sees potential, then he will point it out; if he sees a flaw or defect, it too will be pointed out.

Scarlett NAME, who ran the medical department, was amazing as well! I remember a time when something had happened to me and Scarlett was there to comfort my soul along with helping me see the medical staff. Scarlett assisted me in getting my medical assessment form filled out for welfare so I can get back on health insurance. I see her as someone who would work in an ER in triage.

And last, but not least….. I had too save the best for last………

Kanika Stewart (case aide) was just simply a remarkable woman! See, there is a reason why I saved this one for last, and that is because this is a woman I hold truly close to my heart. Kanika and I already had developed a relationship at the Outreach Coordination Center even before the Hub opened this year. Kanika made phone calls for me, emailed people for me, and advocated for me. Kanika was another one where I only had to explain one time about my gender identity and there were no further questions.

Kanika never looked at me differently if I was using substances, she met me where I was. She always encouraged me, though, to do differently because she saw something in me that at times I could not see in myself.

Kanika is what she says she is, a "homeless advocate"

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of volunteering at the Hub of Hope. There were moments of madness, but today, I try not to really focus on the negative things in life as I have some really good things happening for me in my own personal life.  Last week my housing application went in and it will not be long before I am going to be in my own apartment. I am now staying in a safe haven until I get into my own apartment for a smooth transition.

Honestly, I look forward to becoming an employee next year at the Hub!

Peace and Blessings, all!

 

The spring edition of our News from HOME newsletter is hitting mailboxes this week.  We are reprinting here one of our front-page stories, about our second annual Hub of Hope winter initiative.  To read the entire newsletter online, click here. 

 

Riley was already a regular visitor to the Hub of Hope when he first displayed to the staff some of his artistic talent.  It was a day that was normal enough – whatever that means in a high-traffic, high-intensity ground zero of homelessness and poverty. 

“I want to share something I wrote with you,” Riley (not his real name) told me in his quiet, just audible voice after beckoning me over to where he was sitting.  He began humming gently then broke into a soft, smooth, jazz melody.  The longer he sang, the louder he crooned until his honeyed voice filled the entire space. “Wow…SING IT!” “I had no idea!” and “That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” gasped from every corner.  The jazz melody soon blended into a soulful R&B, then fused in rhythm, funk, percussion, and rap.  The way Riley’s voice could slide into falsetto then glide dexterously into heavy doses of vocal synthesizers and percussion made it clear that his background included extensive musical training.   The concert lasted about half an hour, with other participants joining in for duets and harmonies and building connections from shared moments of pleasure singing musical favorites. 

Witnessing Riley shine that day was just one of many moments this winter when Hub of Hope staff were able to experience the beauty, grace, and strength of the many participants who came through our doors.  

The innovative winter walk-in engagement center recently completed a second successful season in the Suburban Station subway concourse, where its doors were open to individuals experiencing chronic street homelessness.  From the opening of this year’s initiative in mid-December, over 550 unique individuals came in – to see a case manager, talk to a peer specialist or a recovery specialist, visit the doctor, nurse, or psychiatrist, or grab a cup of coffee and a moment’s peace. 

This year’s program was again made possible because of valuable partners, including the City of Philadelphia, the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Jefferson University Hospital, Einstein Healthcare Network, Public Health Management Corporation, SEPTA Police, Student Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia (SREHUP), and Arch Street United Methodist Church. Working together since the early days of winter, we were able to deepen our understanding of the needs of people sleeping in the Suburban Station concourse, provide consistent access to physical and behavioral healthcare, and transition people experiencing long-term homelessness into permanent housing.

Riley was one of over 150 visitors to take advantage of the health clinic, and one of over 130 persons for whom we were able to find housing and treatment placements.  After years on the streets, he agreed to come inside to the SREHUP stabilization beds at Arch Street United Methodist Church for Hub of Hope participants.   From there, he moved into a safe haven and connected to an intensive case manager.  We continue to encourage him to take positive steps to break the cycle of homelessness.

“The Hub is a special place,” says Riley.  “What attracted me to it were the windows – I saw them and wanted to check out what was inside.”  He speaks so softly I have to lean in close to catch his words.  They have a lyrical quality and tumble off his tongue connecting to wisps of other thoughts floating in different strands somehow all connected in the atmospheric reality of Riley’s world that he is inviting me into.  At first Riley is suspicious, distant—yet over time consistent, caring relationships reveal a beautiful, soft, artistic side.

“I am a singer,” Riley tells me, when I ask if I can tell the story of his singing in our newsletter.  “I like when music is interactive.”  He tells me the song he sang that first day was called “Heaven Most High” – “because it’s about an outer feeling.  Music can do that to you.”

– Karen Orrick

Karen Orrick coordinated this year’s Hub of Hope.  She is a closet musician herself.

You can read a full report on the outcomes of this year’s Hub of Hope here.

 

Several residents of 1515 Fairmount participated in a poetry workshop with poet Taije Silverman.  As a creative exercise, they wrote poems on the theme of "Where I'm From."  Here are some of the fruits of their poetic efforts.

 

 

I’m from—sunny days,

warm smell of beans and rice,

cool breezes blowing from a window,

trees I see, playing on the street.

I’m from my mother’s young-

looking face while she washes clothes,

goes shopping, bakes cakes

and sweet potato pies

for the holidays.  Life seems

like a dream come true

when I was born.

 

–Renee Selby

 

 

 

I’m from the living room with sheer white curtains

that lazily blew back and forth when windows were opened.

I’m from cowboy movies, the Mickey Mouse Club

and hiding behind the big green sofa  when I was a small girl.

I’m from the wonderful salty taste of boiled peanuts

and the sweet taste of the blackberry pies my mom baked.

I’m from the sycamore tree with beautiful pink flowers

that looked like tiny ballerinas

and I’m from my dolls Ashley, Joann, Judith and Chris,

just to name a few of them….

 

–Judith Ankrah

 

 

 

Where I’m From

(after George Ella Lyon)

 

I’m from World War II

            a man in uniform

            a woman who waits

            a .50 caliber machine gun  firing

                    on the enemy

 

I’m from Grandfather’s big

            house in Baltimore, eating

            watermelon under an apple tree,

            hot sticky summer, with

            Grandmother and Mary,

            a sweet black lady

 

I’m from Mom’s absence

           (away in a psychiatric hospital

           I visit her

           green lawn, straight-backed

                 chairs)

 

–Richard Bogue

 

 

Where I’m From II

(after George Ella Lyon)

 

I’m from aching legs, age 6

            age 7, military school.

            marching, marching, marching.

 

I’m from November, penultimate

            month, cold gray rain,

            father gone, marching, WWII,

            mother’s heart broken.

 

I’m from rowdy boy, girl’s

            birthday party, Baltimore, age 9,

            age 10; from out of control fire,

            red sirens screaming, dumb

            luck, we get away.

 

I’m from French toast, mom’s

            special breakfast, jelly,

            bacon, sugar, cinnamon, way

            too sweet, I load it on.

 

–Richard Bogue

 

 

 

 

I am from the country where they roll up sidewalks at 8pm,

you have to take a taxi and bears and deers come down

off the mountains into town and it is a small town

with plenty of friends, my friends upstate are all merged

with American Indians, okay?

 

I am from wind song perfumed,

I am from the South side of Mountain Beach, okay?

I am from the wild roses growing on the bank by the bridge,

pink roses planted one hundred years ago, probably,

so I picked some and wove a wreath, okay?

 

I am from my grandfather’s house,

looking out the window again,

out through green lace curtains in a light green room

in the winter, I looked out the window at night

and froze myself looking at icicles hanging down,

shimmering crystals long and beautiful, all right?

 

–Julia Galetti

 

 

Last Thursday, Project HOME's Vice President for Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives Laura Weinbaum traveled to Harrisburg to offer testimony about homelessness and public policy to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee.  She makes a compelling argument for public policies that support proven programs that can help end homelessness.  We reprint her testimony here.  

 

I’d like to talk a bit about permanent supportive housing, which we believe is the single most effective strategy for both addressing homelessness and preventing it from recurring, especially among single adults.  To create new permanent supportive housing requires three types of funding:  capital, operating, and services.  I’ll talk specifically about three streams of funding in these areas – the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (capital), housing subsidies (operating), and Medicaid (services).  I’ll also talk about the benefits of permanent supportive housing – its effectiveness, the cost savings it can achieve, and the economic and fiscal impacts of development and operations.

Background

Let me start by framing this issue.  While we do often refer to people who are homeless, I’d propose that homelessness is in some ways a fictional construct.  People become homeless due to the fallout of other systems – mental health, addiction services, prisons, foster care, education, income supports – and part of our job is to make those systems work better and hold them accountable for the people who fall out of their care.  Homelessness only emerged fairly recently, as the gap between public benefits and/or minimum wage employment and housing costs grew rapidly (see chart).[1]

Recognizing these challenges, we believe that permanent supportive housing is the way to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.   The first key goal of our current strategic plan comprises a three-part strategy to prevent and address chronic street homelessness – first, address a list of roughly 1,000 individuals who have lived on the streets the longest; second, pilot a program for youth (the fastest-growing segment of the chronic/street homeless population); and third, create programming for people who are addicted but seeking employment as a route to recovery.  Our chronic street homelessness effort involves a partnership with Pathways to Housing, Bethesda Project, and Horizon House, and has already reaped the benefits of these partners’ varied approaches:  about 45 percent of our target population – the roughly 1,000 individuals collaboratively identified as the “longest stayers” on the street – is indoors and about 22 percent are now living in permanent housing. 

As noted in a recent analysis by Feather Houstoun, “Best Practices In The Financing And Management Of Permanent Supportive Housing,”:  “Housing tax credits provide a virtually essential foundation to the development of permanent supportive housing, but sponsors of such housing still face daunting financial challenges to successful completion of such housing.  The low incomes of prospective residents means that the full capital cost of the units must be covered so that the development has no debt or mortgage to service.  Ongoing operations and maintenance must be covered by tenant rents and rental subsidies.  Supportive services must be funded through state and federal behavioral health programs.

The need to fully cover development costs has produced many innovative combinations of public and private grants, private equity, and donations. City and state authorities increasingly recognize that while investments in permanent housing do not provide a conventional “return on investment,” the avoided costs in public health and criminal justice systems warrant public expenditures to house individuals that would otherwise rack up substantial costs.[2]“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital: Leveraging the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit, administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), is the single most crucial tool in financing affordable housing for vulnerable people in Pennsylvania.  The report cited above by Feather Houstoun points to the vital role tax credits play in that process.  The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, under the leadership of Brian Hudson and his capable team, has been an integral partner in our work and has supported and challenged us to help us grow.

 

Perhaps as important, our analysis found that the sources of Project HOME’s capital funding are as diverse as its partners and its beneficiaries – two percent federal, 11 percent state, 23 percent city, 40 percent investor equity, and 24.4 percent donations and other sources (see chart at right).  As noted in an analysis by Econsult[3], “Estimating the Local Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Project HOME,” total government investment of $38 million in our capital projects over 20 years has been leveraged into $106 of investment – almost $1.80 in other funding for every government dollar invested.   

Government investment is a key catalyst in providing housing for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens, but also an economic engine, generating jobs, property taxes, and better neighborhoods.

 

Operating: Good Programs (Supported by Subsidies) Make Good Neighbors

We are excited to have the Philadelphia Housing Authority, under the leadership of new Executive Director Kelvin Jeremiah, work towards a goal of creating 6,000 new affordable housing units through partnerships with public, private, nonprofit, and publicly minded organizations.  PHA has already issued a new RFP reflecting a priority to serve “at-risk” populations, including people who are veterans, homeless, disabled, and youth aging out of foster care, among others.  PHA is also focusing on connecting residents to work and helping them to move out of PHA to make room for new residents, through partnerships.  By providing subsidies to individuals and also organizations, PHA continues to be a crucial partner in the effort to end homelessness.

In order to ensure that our residences are facilities of choice, and facilities that are good neighbors, we have to ensure the safety, cleanliness, stability, and attractiveness of our buildings.  Our operating budgets build in long-term sustainability of all of our projects, requiring significant subsidy commitments which enable us to be good neighbors.

Econsult analysis noted that neighbors within ¼ mile of Project HOME sites have experienced a $24,000 boost in their sales price after Project HOME facilities have opened (see chart), resulting in nearly $11 million in new property taxes for the City and school district.  We believe that Project HOME’s development has contributed to the neighborhood fabric in significant ways – anecdotally speaking, when the New York-based Shake Shack chose to come to Philadelphia and selected its new location, it chose to locate cattycorner from one of the largest affordable housing developments in Philadelphia, our 144-unit Kate’s Place development.

Finally, our operating expenditures have a ripple effect within the regional economy.  In the five-county region, Project HOME’s $15 million in direct operating expenditures are estimated to generate an additional $15.8 million in indirect expenditures, resulting in a region-wide economic impact of nearly $31 million.  This total economic impact includes $14.4 million in employee salaries and wages, supporting 417 total jobs. 

 

Table 3.

Annual Ongoing Economic Impacts Attributable to Project HOME Operating Expenditures –

City of Philadelphia & Five-County Metropolitan Region

($ Millions and Total Jobs)

Description	City of Philadelphia	Five-County Region
Total Direct Operating Expenditures	$            14.90	$            14.90
Indirect & Induced Expenditures	$            10.41	$            15.76
Total Economic Impact	$            25.32	$            30.66
Total Salaries & Wages	$            11.11	$            14.41
Total Jobs	340	417

Source: Econsult Corporation (2011)   Note: Total Economic Impact includes Total Salaries & Wages

 

All of these positive impacts are possible only with a level of funding that promotes excellent facility maintenance and operations appropriate to the neighborhood.

 

Services:  Medicaid Plan Elements and Expansion Are Key

While we believe that housing, employment, education, and healthcare are all crucial to a person breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty, we particularly believe that healthcare – both physical and behavioral – is essential to simply allowing a person to stay housed.  We therefore are urging the Governor to add Pennsylvania to the list of 26 states are planning to pursue or leaning toward expansion of Medicaid (including eight states led by Republican governors).   We believe this could be the single most important decision impacting people who are homeless for decades to come.

For people who are or once were homeless, healthcare is what enables them to stay housed.  Without the physical and behavioral support to make healthy decisions, people are increasingly at risk of losing their housing and relying on much more costly – and less effective – systems of care for their supports.  In light of this, we need to ensure that Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Plan includes as entitlements the following:

§    Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (PRS) – PRS is a therapeutic service for individuals with mental illness, which supports independent living and may decrease the need for or shorten the length of stay in more costly inpatient, partial hospitalization, and day treatment settings. PRS emphasizes values such as consumer involvement, consumer choice, consumer strengths and individual growth potential, shared decision making as well as outcome accountability.

§    Health Homes – Health Homes are a way to coordinate care for people with Medicaid who have chronic conditions, by employing a “whole-person” philosophy. Health Homes providers will integrate and coordinate all primary, acute, behavioral health, and long-term services and supports to treat the whole person.

Some of these services are provided on-site at Project HOME already, and many more will be in our new Wellness Center, but we also provide many of these services through partnerships.  Project HOME is in the process of becoming a Medicaid provider.

 

Integration:  Housing Paired With Services

Just as weaving funding streams is what makes the finance work on our developments, weaving together services and housing are what make permanent supportive housing work – achieving success rates greater than 95 percent nationally. We propose that the state consider a model like Minnesota, in which funding streams for housing and services are coordinated through the Housing Finance Agency.  In Philadelphia, the Office of Supportive Housing and Department of Behavioral Health work together to pair housing and services funds.  We encourage Pennsylvania to think of ways to integrate these activities for the benefit of consumer and communities.

Conclusion

Housing itself saves lives, saves money, and creates a better opportunity – an analysis of dollars and cents is but one example of positive impact.  The real impact on people’s lives is immeasurable.  By investing in people, in their HOME (housing, opportunities for employment, medical care, and education), and challenging all of us, we create a greater good.  Project HOME firmly believes that “none of us are home until all of us are home,” and that these positive impacts are perhaps best reflected not in the financial figures, but rather in the lives and contributions of the members of the Project HOME community.

Not so long ago, Mayor Nutter “tweeted” that Philadelphia will be the first American city to end homelessness, and we know that with support from people from all walks of life and all sectors, we can achieve that goal.  Thank you for joining us on that quest, we look forward to working together.

 

Our Executive Director, S. Mary Scullion, gave the keynote address at the April 17 Graduation Ceremony of the Philadelphia Peer Leadership Academy.  PPLA is  a 13-week training designed to promote the leadership skills of those people in recovery who have an earnest desire to help continue to shape and refine the behavioral health care system, as part of the ongoing system transformation movement. PPLA was conceived of and initiated by the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services and is supported by the work of PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization – Achieving Community Together) and the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASPA). Three of our community members, Zarah Teachey, Eunid Mann, and Myron Page, were among this year’s graduates.  

 

 

I am frequently invited to give talks to many different groups.  But in all honesty, I can say that this gathering with you today is of special meaning for me.  And I don’t know if any words I can say will have as much meaning as simply hearing your many stories, which I know would be profoundly inspiring and empowering. 

It is an honor and blessing to share with you this special day.  Philadelphia Peer Leadership Academy is a model program, and one of the signs of great hope and good news in our community.  The many organizations and communities who have collaborated to develop PPLA are among the brightest lights in Philadelphia:  The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services; PRO-ACT; and the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  We at Project HOME are proud to have partnered with all these tremendous groups over the years to help make this a more just and compassionate city for all our sisters and brothers.

Each one of you has worked hard for these past several months to develop your leadership skills.  Each of you has important and vital gifts to share, which I know will plants seeds of hope and recovery in thousands of lives you touch, and will foster greater hope and recovery in our community as a whole.  You are my heroes.

I hardly have to tell you how for many, many years persons struggling with mental illness or addiction have been marginalized, dehumanized, blamed for their own pain and for being causes of broader social ills.  At Project HOME we know all too well how powerful those stigmas can be, as we have had to struggle for fair housing rights against community opposition rooted in negative stereotypes of persons with histories of mental health issues.  In 2013, prejudices and discrimination persist – as we see in the current debate on gun violence in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy:  all too often, the media is fostering skewed and dangerous connections between mental illness and violence, re-stoking old fears.

In many ways, I believe the recovery movement among those who live with behavioral health issues is nothing short of a powerful revolution in our society.  It represents a powerful shift in paradigms, and it is truly coming from the grass roots.  And as ambassadors of that movement, you are communicating a critically important message:  It is rooted in the honest truth that behavioral health issues can be daunting and diminishing of our lives, but they don’t have to be.  We can courageously face these issues in our lives, and, with support from peers and allies, we can engage in the hard but beautiful work of recovery.  Each one of you is a living testimony to the fact that even out of deeply painful struggles, it is possible to live lives of quality, meaning, community, relationships, vocation, and love.

But even more deeply, the miracle in this room, the miracle that you all live, is that true transformation happens precisely when we have the courage to face our own brokenness.  And in facing that brokenness, we surrender to God’s grace.  And we take on the radical humility and fierce patience of compassion for self that becomes compassion for others.  In community with others, we embark on the long, beautiful journey that is recovery.  But we do so having tapped into a power that we would not know without that surrender.  And as a result, our brokenness becomes blessings, our pain becomes gifts, our struggles become hope for others.

Most of you will go on from here to work in situations of peer support.  And that work is infinitely valuable, because you will empower others to find the courage, strength, and hope needed for the journey of recovery.  You will literally save many lives.  But you also have to offer something to the broader community as well.  This message of recovery is ultimately one that all persons needs to hear.  It is a vision that our whole society needs to hear.

My colleague at Project HOME, Will O’Brien, recently shared his experience of living with mental illness in a blog post.   He wrote:  “We live in a society that promulgates a great and terrible lie: that our worth and dignity as persons depends on our productivity and our success. We idolize the rich and famous and powerful. We put them on magazine covers and television shows. We aspire to be like them, because, we assume, they have great worth and value. Meanwhile, our society denigrates those who are in any way weak, unproductive, unsuccessful.

“These values dehumanize all of us. Obviously, they dehumanize those who are poor, struggling, addicted, mentally ill, or somehow otherwise broken in obvious ways. But they also dehumanize those who are successful and powerful, by seducing them into believing that their worth is based on things that are false, things that are not lasting or eternal, things that could easily be stripped away.”

He goes on to say:  “At Project HOME I have begun to experience and envision something close to my conception of what church ought to be: a place where we gather to remind each other that we are all God’s precious, beloved children. It is to be a place where we accept and embrace each other’s brokenness. It is a place where we proclaim that the social values outside are a lie. God loves us in all our flaws and defects and shortcomings. God doesn’t care whether we are a CEO or a drug dealer, whether we reside in a mansion or a mental health hospital. Grace embraces all of us. In fact, the mystery is that it is precisely in the acceptance of our brokenness that we can know this amazing grace.”

I am thrilled that you have all had the opportunity to develop your gifts and leadership through the Academy.  And I am excited about all that you will accomplish in the coming years, from offering one-on-one peer support to sisters and brothers in need; to sharing your stories to educate the public; to advocating for more just and humane public policies.  I thank you for your courage, your strength, and your commitment. 

At Project HOME, for almost twenty five years now, we have found special insight in the words of Aboriginal activist Lila Watson:  “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time.  But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”  As you experience your own liberation, may you bring liberation to many others.

 

 

2^nd Annual

DIGITAL ARTS SHOWCASE

Honickman Learning Center & Comcast Technology Labs

Wednesday April 17, 2013, 4-8 pm

 

On Wednesday, April 17, 4:00 – 8:00 pm, we will host our second annual Lynne Honickman Digital Arts Festival at Project HOME’s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs.  Come and experience what our teen students in Film, Music, and Photography classes have been diligently working on this year, as well as some of the works from some of our adult students.  Students will be available to answer questions and discuss in further detail the types of projects they are working on, their creative process as well as skills that they have gained since they started working on their projects.

The event will take place in our auditorium, and will be catered by our very own culinary arts students.  The entire program is for two hours, starting at 4:00, and repeating again at 6:00. There will be several musical performances happening at 4:30 and again at 6:30.  Much of the work will be displayed for casual viewing throughout the entire time of the festival. Please come join us for an exciting evening and be ready to enjoy the work of our students. Staff, residents, friends and families are cordially invited.

It seems we have a kindred spirit in the new Pope Francis:

 

In one of his first public talks, the new pontiff spoke to a group of interfaith leaders, saying they should be united against "one of the most dangerous pitfalls of our time — reducing human beings to what they produce and what they consume."

 

Meanwhile, from our Executive Director, Sister Mary Scullion:  "We also must challenge social values that give rise to homelessness and poverty.  In our culture property enjoys an absolute right and defense within our economic system, while no such right or defense is extended to the human person.  A person's worth is totally dependent upon how much he or she produces that is marketable.  There is little doubt that in our society, the human person is subordinated to property and is often valued by external measurements."  

 

Project H.O.M.E. Easter Service

Easter Sunday, March 31

10:00 a.m.

1515 Fairmount Avenue

 

Please join us at our annual Project H.O.M.E. Easter service, at which we will celebrate the many ways we experience resurrection and new life in our lives and in our community.

Fr. John McNamee, a long-time friend of Project H.O.M.E. will lead us in a Catholic liturgy.  All members of the Project H.O.M.E. community – residents, staff, volunteers, friends, and neighbors – are welcome.  

Refreshments will be served after the service.

For information, call Will O'Brien at 215-232-7272, ext 3047

 

Two of our community members have been honored by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund as heroes of LGBT Women's History Month.

Dionne Stallworth, a long-time resident of Connelly House, is considered “a pioneer in the LGBT movement,” and has long been active in political empowerment and health issues for transgendered persons.

Leigh Braden, program manager of our Kate’s Place residence, has developed many effective services and programs to meet the needs of homeless LGBTQI youth. 

You can read more about both of these amazing heroes here.  We are proud of them, and blessed that they are part of our community.