TUTORING HOMELESS STUDENTS

Did you know that homeless students change schools, on average, 3 times per year?  With each school change 6-9 months of academic progress may be lost.

Bridge Communities recognized the need to help fill this gap over 15 years ago by creating a program that hires certified teachers to provide Bridge students with 2 hours of tutoring each week.  Tutoring takes place in the learning centers located in the apartment buildings where Bridge families reside, or in a library nearby.  Tutors help their students “catch up” and push ahead in reading, math, study skills, and homework completion.  They provide each student with the support, and guidance to empower them to succeed.

Adult students in Bridge also receive tutoring if needed.  This could include assistance with GED studies, math, vocabulary, English, nursing classes, etc.

As of November 1^st, Bridge has 16 tutors, 27 students, and 5 adult students receiving tutoring. Right after the start of the school year, a student came up to me at one of our learning centers and said, “Barbara, when are you going to find me a tutor?” It’s wonderful for me to hear this. The support this student had been receiving really means something to this child, and she was being proactive in ensuring she would continue to receive the help she needs.

Over the 11 years that I have been coordinating the tutoring program at Bridge I have received many comments from both students and their parents about the importance of having these tutors.  One 8^th grade student told me he had received an “A” for the first time in his life because of the help from his tutor.  Many parents ask me if tutoring will continue over the summer months.  The answer is always “yes,” as we would like the learning momentum to continue uninterrupted.  And it’s not just academic support our students receive.  With each tutor comes the absolute positive regard that a personal coach can provide.

If you or someone you know might be interested in this opportunity, please contact Barbara Trczinski, Education Coordinator, at barbtrczinski@ameritech.net.

What’s New with Sleep Out Saturday?

53 Groups and 16 Stars Have Already Registered!

Sleep Out Saturday is the flagship fundraising event for Bridge Communities.  Visit our website at www.sleepoutsaturday.org for more information regarding this unique event!  The goals for this event are threefold:

¨      Raise funds for the Bridge Communities’ Transitional Housing Program

¨      Raise public awareness concerning family homelessness in our community

¨      Build empathy for those in need

How Does It Work?

Church and community groups from throughout DuPage County gather to experience homelessness for just one night.  Coupled with the experience of sleeping in cars, tents and boxes, participants utilize fun, educational activities that bring awareness to how and why family homelessness occurs.  You can register to become a group at:   www.sleepoutsaturday.org.

What If You Don’t Have A Group?

You do not need to be affiliated with a group to participate in Sleep Out Saturday!  You may register yourself or family as Sleep Out “Stars”.  Once registered, you will have access to online resources to help you plan your event and activities.  Sleep outside on your front lawn or driveway, post a SOS yard sign and/or attend the event Rally!  Age appropriate activities and curriculum are provided in the resource materials to make it a great event for young and old!

The Rally

Everyone is invited to attend the Sleep Out Saturday Event Rally, 6:30 – 8:00 pm in downtown Glen Ellyn.  101.9fm The Mix will be there!  Following the Rally, return to your site to participate in activities and “sleep out”!

Fundraising

Participants are asked to collect pledges (similar to charity walks/runs).  Fundraising is easy!  Whether it is door to door, through your congregation or organization or friends/families, all you need to do is “ask”!  We accept credit card online donations as well!  Last year, participants raised $120,000!  The fundraising goal for this year is $130,000!  Help us reach or goal and help provide hope to families in crisis!

Contact Lisa Hedrick, Sleep Out Saturday Event Coordinator, at 630/545-0610 x19 or lisa.hedrick@bridgecommunities.org for more information.

Buying a new car? Donate your used one to Bridge.

Bridge Communities – a non–profit, transitional housing program serving homeless families in DuPage County – is looking for individuals or businesses that would like to donate used cars.  The cars are used by homeless families who are in transition to self-sufficiency.  Donated cars allow Bridge clients to commute to better paying jobs and their children’s school and daycare.  Donations are tax deductible for the value of the car.

To donate your used car to help homeless families served by Bridge Communities, or to find out how to support Bridge in another way, please call Mark Milligan at 630-545-0610, x.10.  The Bridge Communities website is www.bridgecommunities.org.

Help a Homeless Family – Become a Volunteer Mentor

Volunteer mentors have been the “heart” of Bridge Communities since its founding.  Volunteer mentors provide the caring and encouragement necessary to foster the personal and economic growth that client families need to achieve and sustain self sufficiency.

You can become a volunteer mentor and help create a brighter future for a homeless family.  A volunteer mentor training will be held on Saturdays, October 3^rd and October 17^th.  Attendance at both sessions is required.  Training is free of charge and is mandatory before assignment to work with a client family.

Volunteer mentors operate as members of a Bridge Communities’ Program Partner group from a faith-based or community organization.  Please visit the Bridge website and review the list of Transitional Housing Program Partners to find out if your church or community group is a Program Partner.  Or call 630-545-0610, ext. 12 to learn more about becoming a volunteer mentor.

Summer Flies When You Are Having Fun!

Do you have fond memories of summer camp?  For lots of Bridge kids, summer provided mountains of memories.  Financial scholarships enabled Brianna, Kayla and Kristian to attend Covenant Harbor Camp in Lake Geneva for one week.  Kayla told me that learning about and riding horses was a highlight of her summer, along with the mud pit! (I guess some things are still fun only when you are a kid!)   Brianna said camp helped her become more social and also more open about her faith, along with the banana boat!   Covenant Harbor also welcomed one of our families as part of their Covenant Family Camp.  Mom said that camp provided her kids with “normalcy.”  At camp, “they were not kids from a struggling family, but simply kids.”    

WalCamp in Kingston, Illinois also hosted several of our kids again this year.  One of the highlights for one of our physically challenged Bridge kids, was Handycamp.  This high school junior said he was able to enjoy summer camp for the first time, and that he could participate in all activities like a normal kid…..and “they didn’t make me feel handicapped!”

But the one repeated comment from the kids was that making new friends was the best memory of camp.

Other camps that welcomed our kids were Chicago Bears Camp, Indian Boundary YMCA, BR Ryall YMCA, Heritage YMCA, Fry YMCA, Kohler YMCA, local park district camps and pools, swim camp, High School Football Camps, and enhanced summer programming at child care centers.

These experiences have been made possible in cooperation of several scholarship opportunities, including funding from each camp, the generosity of individual donors, and the Bridge Builders Scholarship Fund.  Scholarships include payment of fees, transportation and donations of needed camp supplies.

Most importantly these memories are because we strongly believe that summer camp can and does change lives.

Reflections on Services in a Down-turned Economy

Written by: Janet Gaza

I am often asked, “How do families get accepted into the Bridge housing program?” or “How do you decide who to help?”  These questions seem to be easy to answer, but the reality is that the decision making process of who enters the Transitional Housing Program is complex.  The process starts, with the first of many steps, when a person-in-need calls looking for help.  We define this as an “intake call.” 

The cruel fact is that Bridge Communities receives more than 1,100 calls annually from people experiencing some type of housing crisis.  Some are out of work, some are physically and/or mentally ill, some are working but their wages are just not enough to make ends meet, some have left abusive relationships, and some have been left by their spouses—-the family’s primary wage earner— to raise the children alone; some are young mothers asked to leave the parental home.  Listening to a caller’s despair; I ache when they cry and don’t blame them when they are angry. 

I am one of five case managers at Bridge Communities; we share the responsibilities of processing intake calls.  Our role as we receive calls is to listen intently and try to decide whether the caller would be a good match for placement into our Program and achieve our mission of moving a family from homelessness to self sufficiency in just two years.    We try to assess motivation, willingness to work with mentors, willingness to budget, as well as the physical and emotional ability to work towards self sufficiency.   During an intake call, many questions need to be answered:  Would this caller be a good candidate for Bridge Communities transitional housing program?  Could the caller benefit from what Bridge has to offer?  Does the caller express a desire to change behaviors and allow others to help? 

If we do feel like the Transitional Housing Program is a good match, we schedule a face-to-face interview with the family.  During this meeting one of the case managers conducts an in-depth family, employment and personal interview. 

After this interview, we discuss if the potential client family has the desire, determination and basic skills to move forward with our Program.  We recognize the weight of this process and rely on each of our professional experiences to determine the client family’s next step.  If we feel that the client family is a good candidate, we move onto a second interview that probes more into the client’s history and their future goals.  We also begin a legal and criminal background check and drug abuse screening.  If the potential client family passes this step, we ask the Program Partner volunteer team to meet with the family.  This is a very important step in the process as the Program Partner volunteer team will be the primary persons that the client family works with during their two-year stay in the Transitional Housing Program.  This team must feel that the client family will be a good match. 

We have noticed that the current economic situation is reflected in the intake calls we receive.  There has been a sharp increase from people who have never before needed help, but due to job loss and longer than anticipated unemployment, their financial stability has evaporated.  Many of these callers are also in foreclosure.  More calls are coming from families who have had economically stable lives, but through a series of stressful events—cancer diagnosis, job loss, home foreclosure, severe depression—– have come to the end of the line and have had to make the call to Bridge.  These calls hit closer to home, I wonder how my own family would be sustained if we had to endure the same setbacks?

The most difficult part of intake is realizing that our Program will not be a good match for everyone.  With our Program Partners, our team at Bridge has positively impacted hundreds of families. However knowing this, does not make it any easier to decline a families’ request for help with housing.  If the family is not a good match for our program, we refer him or her to other services within DuPage County.  But that seems like cold comfort, when in fact these agencies are under funded and overwhelmed, and are referring callers to Bridge.  While I am proud that Bridge is the largest provider of transitional housing in DuPage County, it does make me wonder where families are turning to when we are unable to provide housing.

This question continues to drive us to move forward and help as many families as we can.  We know that the families that graduate from our Program go on to lead financially stable and self sufficient lives.

Sleep Out Saturday for the Homeless

6^th Annual Flagship Fundraising Event

November 7, 2009

Register Today to Become a Sleep Out Star or Organize a Sleep Out Group

Join over 1500 others as they participate in the Sleep Out Saturday for the Homeless this year on Saturday, November 7^th.  This event benefits Bridge Communities which provides housing and support services for homeless families in DuPage County. The Bridge Communities Transitional Housing Program is a two year commitment that offers families in a housing crisis a means to get back on their feet and provide a better future for themselves and their children.  Visit www.bridgecommunities.org for more information.

Last November, over 1200 people, from 63 groups (church, school, Scout and corporate) and 61 individuals and families experienced homelessness for one night.  Participants slept out and learned about the issue of family homelessness and raised nearly $120,000 for homeless families in transition to self sufficiency.   This equals almost 5,000 housing nights for homeless families in the Bridge program.

Sleep Out Saturday is a unique event that offers an opportunity for participants to give back to their community, raise public awareness concerning family homelessness in DuPage County and raise empathy for those less fortunate.

Participants are invited to attend a kick-off rally in Glen Ellyn, with entertainment by 101.9 The MIX on-air DJ, Koz and road crew.  Then, everyone returns to their individual/group “Sleep Out” sites, to engage in recommended educational activities!   Then it’s off to sleep in cars, tents, boxes or sleeping bags on a chilly November night!

Visit www.sleepoutsaturday.org to register as a group or as a Sleep Out “Star”.  “Stars” are families or individuals who are not participating in an organized group, but would like to learn more about homelessness in our community and raise funds to support Bridge Communities.  “Stars” are committed to requesting pledges and spreading the word about family homelessness and Bridge Communities.

Please contact Lisa Hedrick at 630/545-0610 x19 if you need more information or have questions about the event.

EIGHT MORE STUDENTS OFF TO COLLEGE

On August 10, 2009, Bridge Communities, in cooperation with the Bridge Builders, presented college scholarships to eight formerly homeless teens.  Each college bound student was awarded the $1,000 scholarship based on their academic achievements and a personal essay that told of their future pursuits. 

At the award ceremony, students shared where they plan to attend – or currently attend – college and their field of studies.  The students’ colleges and interests vary, including an architectural engineering major, a chemistry major and fashion design major.  But what all the students share, is a past that includes homelessness.  Each of the young adults’ families are either currently enrolled or were a former client family in Bridge Communities’ Transitional Housing Program.

First-time award recipient, Adelbert (last name deleted for privacy) shared, “I have come to understand that my future is in my own hands and I don’t plan on running it into the ground.  Furthermore, I know because of organizations like Bridge Communities, my family back home is alright and taken care of, and that I can focus on pursuing my own goals.” Adelbert will soon begin his second year at Winona State University with a major in chemistry and a minor in psychology.  He hopes to someday work for Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Bridge Communities president, Mark Milligan thanked the Bridge Builders for raising the funds needed to provide these talented teens with their generous scholarship.  The Bridge Builders are dynamic, enthusiastic group of local residents that take a hands-on approach to enhancing the lives of Bridge families, particularly creating exceptional experiences for the children and youth in our Transitional Housing.

To learn more about the Bridge Builders, visit: http://bridgecommunities.org/News-events/Bridge-Builders.html

HOT NIGHT, COOL CAUSE

Did you know there is an organized auxiliary of Bridge Communities called The Bridge Builders? This dynamic, enthusiastic group of local residents takes a hands-on approach to enhancing the lives of Bridge families, particularly creating exceptional experiences for the children and youth in our Transitional Housing Program.

Another aspect of their organization is to host two annual parties, The End of Summer Bash, a last hurrah to summer and The Garage Party held in January. These two events are not only a wonderful, casual evening out, but are held in order to raise funds for Bridge Communities and awareness about family homelessness in DuPage County.

Their next event will be on Friday, August 21, 2009. The Bridge Builders’ invite the public to a Hot Night, Cool Cause at The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at The College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn from 7:30 p.m. until midnight.  

There will be music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres, a fabulous silent auction and cash bar.  A few of the auction items include a 9 course dinner party for 12 with premium wine, canoeing and picnic on Lake Ellyn, must-have Chicago Bulls and Bears tickets, tickets to the MAC at College of DuPage, two tickets to your paradise on Southwest Airlines anywhere they fly, a tailgate party, and one night at the Drake Hotel and dinner for two at the new Trump Restaurant.

While there is no ticket price, donations are greatly appreciated at the door. Please R.s.v.p. to bridgebuildersge@yahoo.com with your name, address and number attending by August 19, 2009.

 We hope to see you there!

OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS…

By Karen Stewart, Program Partner Liaison

I’ve been thinking a lot about our Program Partners lately… And my thoughts continue to focus on motivation, similarities and differences.

What motivates each Program Partner to donate money and provide mentors to meet with our client families on a weekly basis? Each wants to share their resources and talents to help their communities and neighbors. Each has the passion to want to make a difference in the life of one homeless family. Each believes that teaching one to fish is much more life-giving than handing one a fish.

How are our Program Partners alike? How are they different? We currently have a relationship with 44 partners. Some are small to medium sized faith communities…others are medium to large sized faith communities or community-based action groups.  In addition we are in dialogue with prospective program partners that will open new learning opportunities.  A mosque, a corporation and a faith community want to join us as Program Partners 45, 46 and 47.  We are thrilled to add new faith partners and new program partner models to our team.

Each Program Partner represents great diversity in beliefs, size and geographic location. When you look at each individually, there are no two exactly alike. At first glance, each is very different from one another, and yet upon further study, you will find more similarities than differences.

I am so proud of the hundreds of men and women who share our mission.  It seems to me, that in the end, we all have so much more in common than first observed. I guess when it comes right down to it, we all believe that doing something the best we can is better than doing nothing and just wishing there was something we could do…