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

Anabel Genevitz is a student at Arcadia University, and volunteers with Project H.O.M.E.'s Education and Advocacy Department.

 

You might think that Project H.O.M.E.’s success in empowering men and women to break the cycle of chronic homelessness is due to very competent and committed staff.  And that’s certainly a large part of it.  But another very important factor, one that has been growing tremendously in the past few years, is the role that residents play in supporting each other.

Several of our residents have received formal training to become Certified Peer Specialists.  The Certified Peer Specialist program originated out of the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health, in an effort to encourage consumers of mental health and addictions services to own their recovery, rather than simply be “treated.” The new model, called Recovery Transformation, recognizes that recovery from behavioral health issues, whether addictions or mental illness, is an ongoing and holistic process, and that persons living with behavioral health issues don’t simply have to manage their disease but can live full and productive lives.  A growing peer support culture in the mental health field understands that mental health consumers are often the best advocates and supports for each other.

The Recovery Transformation model is very similar to the core values and holistic philosophy of Project H.O.M.E. (See the article on Recovery Transformation in our February 2010 Dwelling Place newsletter.)   So it made sense that we would develop a Peer Case Aide program, which gives an opportunity for our residents and alumni to share their gifts with the rest of us.  The program hires residents and alumni who are certified peer specialists to be part of our case management process, making their own life experience a source of empowerment for others.  We are finding that the program is producing positive results for everyone involved.

Zarah Teachy arrived at Project H.O.M.E. in 1983, having met Sister Mary Scullion at the House of Correction years beforehand. Drug addiction had gotten Zarah to a place she was painfully unhappy with:  She had no home and no way to take care o

f her young son. Although Zarah’s journey and struggle with addiction would not end in 1983, her involvement with Project H.O.M.E. would prove an essential component to her recovery.

In 2007, while living at Project H.O.M.E., Zarah received her high school diploma. At that time, she decided she could use her experience to help others. She began training as a Certified Peer Specialist.  Upon completing the program, she returned to Project H.O.M.E. to share her talents and experience with residents at several of our sites: Connelly House (formerly In Community), St. Elizabeth’s, the Women’s Respite, and St. Columba’s.  She is part of our staff now, as a Peer Case Aide, which allows her to use her years of hands-on experience in order to enhance the recovery process for Project H.O.M.E.’s residents.

Nicole Paul, our staff person overseeing both the Peer Case Aide and Alumni programs, initially referred Zarah as an excellent candidate for the position.  Nicole speaks highly of the success of the program, adding that she often asks Zarah and her other Peer Case Aides for advice on dealing with a certain resident or situation.

The Peer Case Aide position has worked mutually well for both Zarah and her residents.  “Working with alumni has allowed me to open myself to others,” Zarah says.  She adds, “I feel I found my niche at Project H.O.M.E.”

When asked about a typical day on the job, Zarah responds that being a Peer Case Aide can be extremely varied. “I can help them with anything from getting to a doctor’s appointment, to obtaining furniture for their rooms, to helping them cope with their addictions.” Although the job of Peer Case Aide often reflects a practical nature, she still focused on the main component of recovery: the concept of family love that she insists keeps the gears at Project H.O.M.E. turning. Her work as a Peer Case Aide has inspired her to hopefully become a case manager one day.

Project H.O.M.E. is not the only organization to reap the benefits of Zarah’s openness and lovingness.  Zarah also coordinates an addictions group for COMHAR – Community Organization for Mental Health and Retardation. Her group meets for two hours every Tuesday, but the meetings always take on a friendly tone. She reports that bingo night remains by far most popular, with as many as ten people joining in the festivities. The group also takes trips to popular Philadelphia hangouts, such as LOVE Park and the Reading Terminal Market. The trips promote a sense of community, she says – they are never simply doing, but always talking and connecting with their peers.

The Certified Peer Specialist model and Project H.O.M.E.’s extension of the model creates a mutually beneficial system of recovery as well as a stronger sense of community. Zarah’s involvement encourages her along her own journey of recovery, and reinforces the success she has already experienced.

Sam Willis is the Program Coordinator for the Cross Bridge Scholars Program at Project H.O.M.E.’s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs.

 

For several years, one of the most innovative programs happening at Project H.O.M.E.’s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs is the Cross Bridge Scholars Program.  Cross Bridge Scholars brings together students from North Philadelphia who participate in HLC-CTL activities with students from Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square.  The students engage in collaborative learning, exploring issues of race, class, culture, and mass media to better understand and bridge their two communities.  Scholars discuss these topics through a wide variety of technology-based projects that emphasize writing, culture, media, and race studies. 

This past year the Cross Bridge Scholars created, filmed, and edited a documentary on Project H.O.M.E.  Though the Cross Bridge Program is housed at the Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs' Teen Program, this was the first major project by the Cross Bridge Scholars focusing on Project H.O.M.E.

The heart of the documentary is a series of interviews by Tynesha Robinson and Caroline Hunter, using research and questions prepared by other Scholars.  Persons interviewed included Project H.O.ME.’s co-founder Sister Mary Scullion as well as Mary Randles who directs the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs, and two staff members of Project H.O.M.E.’s Outreach Coordination Center, Sam Santiago and Luis Sanchez.

In her interview, Sister Mary explained the meaning behind Project H.O.M.E.: “H is for housing, O is for opportunities for employment, M is for medical care and E is for education." 

Talking with and interviewing outreach worker Sam Santiago was one of the more interesting moments for the students.  "The hardest part for me,” he says in the film, “and usually I tell this to everybody, is when I am engaging people and I actually have to…when I leave and the person stays there, that is the hardest part.”  Sam and Luis really helped the students understand and appreciate all that is involved with street outreach as a vital part of the work of Project H.O.M.E.

During her interview, Mary Randles reaffirmed her responsibilities to persons who experience homelessness and further discussed the role of education in Project H.O.M.E.  “We are here to help them in whatever way we can,” she stated.

The production was fully Scholar-run, from research and writing, to directing, lighting, sound, producing, and editing.  The Cross Bridge Scholars also utilized music created by other teen participants in the HLC-CTL's Teen Program.

You can watch the video – and see other projects by the Cross Bridge Scholars Program – at the website, http://www.crossbridgescholars.org/.

 

 

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has stirred tremendous interest, excitement, and controversy throughout the nation.  No doubt it is touching an important nerve in our society, and is raising to the surface some of the most critical issues we face as a nation.  Since the movement spread to Philadelphia last week, hundreds of protesters have set up tents at City Hall and many more have joined them during the day.  Several members of the Project H.O.M.E. community – residents, alumni, staff, and volunteers – have spent time at City Hall to participate and observe.  We have also worked with some of the organizers to make sure they know about our outreach services and “Where To Turn” brochures, so they can make helpful connections with many of the men and women who are homeless and stay around City Hall.

We believe there are some vital points of resonance between our vision statement, “None of us are home until all of us are home,” and the issues being raised by the Occupy Wall Street/Philadelphia activists.  We want to share some reflections from members of the Project H.O.M.E. community:

Joan McConnon is a co-founder and Associate Executive Director.  She shares the following thoughts after going down to City Hall:

In May I was invited to speak to the graduating class at Cabrini College.  I shared these reflections with them:

“As I stand here talking with you today, I remain conscious of what I believe is most critical at this time in our country’s history and that is that my generation needs to hear from all of you.  We face many serious challenges today and yet there is an eerie silence across our nation; no one seems to be asking the fundamental question how much is enough.  People are suffering and our environment continues to be compromised yet there is no real outcry for what is just and fair and decent. We are often subject to polarizing dialogue instead of true problem solving. Those in power today need to hear from your generation that you are not satisfied….you are not satisfied that our veterans are forced to sleep on our streets, you are not satisfied that working families lose their homes because their child gets sick and they cannot pay the medical bills, you are not satisfied that our waterways are allowed to be contaminated with chemicals from the production of natural gas, and you are not satisfied that in this country of great abundance, our children go hungry.  Yours is a bolder vision for a brighter future – not just for yourselves but for those living in Norristown, in Philadelphia, in Detroit and across this nation.  You know that in this country filled with brilliant minds and tenacious spirits we can find a way to educate all our children and provide them the opportunity to reach their potential.  You are the generation that ignites revolutions with a tweet; we need your creativity, your energy, your innovative thinking to tackle these complex problems. Make no mistake; they can be solved and it will be your generation that will have to find the moral courage to seek solutions for the common good.”

So when I heard that the protest movement which had started on Wall Street was headed to Market Street in Philly I knew I had to go and stand in solidarity with those young and old who were willing to speak out against the assault on the 99 percent.   With our democracy being sold to the highest bidder and our people and jobs being sold to the lowest bidder, it was heartwarming to see the 99 percent  coming together to find strength in our common struggles for housing, jobs, health care, and education. One sign read “Medical Bankruptcy has a human face”; another said “I work 2 jobs, have no health coverage and cannot afford the medicine I need to stay alive.” As I read sign after sign, I was struck by the fact that we talk about facts and figures – the growing gap between the rich and poor, the cutting of a program that provides utility assistance to lower income Americans, the unemployment rate at 9 percent.  What we are missing are the faces and the stories of the lives devastated by policies that serve the economic interest of a few at the life-threatening expense of the many. As one sign read, "This is America's Autumn." Let's hope Occupy Philadelphia is one more spark that ignites a national movement for a democracy that represents 100 percent of the people and holds our elected officials accountable for solutions that support the common good.

Benjamin Mitchell, an alumnus of Project H.O.M.E. (who was featured in an earlier post on this blog), shares about his time at Occupy Philadelphia:

Honestly, on the weekends I prefer to stay in my underwear in front of the T.V and channel surf, so it was with reservation that I showered, dressed, and journeyed down to City Hall to spend time at the Occupy Philadelphia protest. The day earlier I’d made my first trip to the site seeking out friendly and familiar faces. I recognized few people but I identified the energy. I sought out an associate and exchanged numbers to volunteer my service (we’d participated in the 100,000 Homes survey together). Later that afternoon I received a phone call from my boss who was excited about what was going on and wanted to know how she could get involved. She told me that she planned on being there the following day. So of course, me being the brown nose that I am, I agreed to meet her.

The closer I got to Center City, the more excited I was as I anticipated who I might see and where I might assist. As the bus got closer I heard the driver announce that he could go no further – and as I looked out the window I was met with a glorious sight. Throngs, mobs, crowds in abundance taking up the whole one side of Market Street chanting, “This is what democracy looks like!”

Surprised to hear my name being called, I looked  to see my boss in the midst of the crowd with a sign almost as big as her.  As we marched down Market Street to 6th Street and up to Independence Hall, I cannot fully express how grateful I was to be there and how proud I was of the folk making up this crowd, this movement. It was the 16th anniversary of the Million Man March, an event I didn’t make, but here I was on this day making my voice count.   I am appreciative of Project H.O.M.E.’s Advocacy department that helped nurture my voice.  There were times when the topics were way over my head but I understood just being there, being a part of the whole, was very important. I thank my boss at New Pathways for giving me so much leeway as to have time still to participate in calling for positive changes in our society.

 

 

We will have more reflections from Project H.O.M.E. members on Occupy Philadelphia in upcoming blog posts.  If you want to share your own reflections and thoughts on the movement, please do so in the Comments section.

Our volunteer-organized knitting club is in need of resupply! They are asking for the following items:

• 100 percent wool yarn
• Fabric for sewing and quilting
• Batting
• Thread

Please contact Volunteer & In-Kind Donation Coordinator Carly Ianuzzi at 215-232-7272 x3015 or carlyianuzzi@projecthome.org to donate. Items we do have plenty of is acrylic needles and yarn. Thanks anyway!

Also, if you'd like to purchase one or more items hand-crafted by our talented residents, stop by Sweet Mabel Folk Art & Fine Craft Gallery in Narberth tomorrow from 6 pm to 9 pm.

For a preview of their work, click the pics below: