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COMBINING COMPASSION AND ART
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""Whatever you do for the most humble of my people, you do for me."
Matthew 25:40"
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| Our faith is over 2000 years old, our thinking is not! |
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More than 10,000 families in Jackson County have annual incomes less than $10,000
10% of persons 65 and older in Kansas City live below the poverty level.
At any given point in time there are more than 1,500 homeless children in Jackson County
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There
are over 1.5 million people under the age of 18 without reliable shelter in the
United States
This
makes up 39% of the nations homeless population
42%
of all Homeless Children in the nation are under the age of 5, indicating the
prevalence of homeless families.
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THE LAW OF GIVING
Have you ever noticed that the more you give, the more your receive? Why does this seem infallible? Chopra says it happens because our minds and bodies are in a constant state of giving and receiving with the universe. To create, to love, to grow keeps the flow going; not to give stops the flow and, like blood, it clots. The more we give, the more we are involved in the circulation of the universe's energy, and the more of it we will receive back, in the form of love, material things, serendipitous experiences. Money does makes the world go around, but only if it is given as much as it is received.
If you give, give joyfully. If you want to be blessed, silently bless people by sending them a bundle of positive thoughts. If you have no money, provide a service. We are never limited in what we can give because the true nature of humankind is affluence and abundance. Nature provides everything we need, and the field of pure potentiality provides the intelligence and creativity to produce even more.
Deepak Chopra
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FOR DONATION PLEASE VISIT OUR SITE AT THE GREATER KANSAS CITY FOUNDATION FOR MORE DETAILS
gkccf.guidestar.org/NonprofitProfile
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After
one quarter of operation of the “Be the Change” Van Homeless Emergency Room
Admissions were down 40% from 2009 numbers
After
a year in operation the “frequent flyer” population for Saint Luke’s had turned
over completely, with many familiar faces in treatment or recovery
By Saint Luke’s Hospital’s own estimates we saved them over
1 million dollars last year
We
have defined our services area in working with:
Family
and Domestic abuse victims in the daytime with the van
Chronic
Homeless from 5 p.m.- 1 a.m. with follow through in the day time
Youth
population over the weekend and when needed (Which is most of the time, due to
the intensive nature of our program.)
Provided
nearly 50,000 miles of transportation to 869 individuals in the form of 4,235
rides
Transportation alone valued at $48,600 using the Share-a-Fare Fee model
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What we have learned
- Homelessness is a solvable problem.
- Decent, safe, accessible and affordable housing is indispensable to solving the problem of homelessness.
- Providing housing with support services to those who have enduring disabilities is the smart, humane, cost-effective solution to long-term homelessness.
- Our society has more than adequate economic capacity to invest in the housing and provide the services that can eliminate homelessness anywhere in America.
Quote from Melville Charitable Trust
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An estimated 2-3 million Americans experience being homeless over the course of a given year. For most people, being homeless is a short-lived, one-time event. But, a relatively small and visible group experiences being homeless repeatedly, or for long periods of time, and are in need of assistance. This group is most often made up of single, poor adults and usually are disable in some way.
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| Be the change you wish to see in the world |
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""Success can be measured not only in achievements, but in lessons learned, lives touched and moments shared along the way." "When you help enough people get what they want in life, you'll ultimately get what you want." Zig Zigler"
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| Children Are Our Future |
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WHAT DOES HOMELESSNESS REALLY LOOK LIKE? The reality is that the most prevalent face of homelessness is that of a child. In Johnson County, 276 homeless persons were identified in the 24 hour point in time count. Roughly half (48%, which is 130 children) were children under the age of 18. These findings will be used as a planning tool to improve the response to homelessness in Johnson County. Furthermore, run-a-ways and throw-a-way kids generally shun traditional homeless service agencies. This is the case in that the shelters and service providers are required by law to turn them over to state custody or back to their parents. While in many instances this may be in the best interests of the child, it makes creating services for street kids uniquely difficult, and makes this population par of the hidden homeless.
Homeless Services Coalition of Greater Kansas City Spring 2005
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Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
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