One of our favorite volunteers, Rozanne Hird, was written up in the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Magazine,  Impact, in the September 2010 issue, because of  the work she does for St. Vincent de Paul managing our largest dining room each weekend. (no, that’s not a typo, she’s a volunteer who manages our largest dining room each weekend!). Here’s what was printed in the interview with Rozanne:

I’ve been volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the last 15 years and have been managing their Henry Unger Dining Room on weekends for the last 13. We’ll serve breakfast to 400 to 500 people or so and lunch to another 800 or more on a given day.

I’m blessed to have a house and a car and nice clothes, while some of these people have nothing. To be able to help is really my passion. Every day, no matter what, when I come in here, I feel great. It justmakes me feel sogood togive back…

Contributing to your community is a win-win-win for business people. Most importantly, helping others makes you feel really good inside. You can help spread the word about the organization you volunteer for and help them grow. And you might get a little exposure for your own business while you’re at it.

The business community can’t be separate from the community at large. Those two will just naturally come together. For me, I help people in my business, and then on weekends I get to help people here.

I love it here at St. Vincent de Paul. Volunteering here makes me feel really, really good.

Rozanne Hird

Founder & President

RR Hird and Company

www.rrhird.com

Chamber Member Since 2008

Rozanne, it certainly makes us feel really, really good that you continue to give so much of your precious time and talent to help so many needy people in our valley. Thank you!

Time goes by quickly when you’re doing something that’s needed and feels personally rewarding. As the director of shelter services at St. Vincent de Paul, I’m amazed that on July 1st, Ozanam Manor, our transitional housing program, will celebrate its 25th anniversary here in Phoenix.

During the past 25 years, with generous support from the community and help from many fine volunteers and staff, Ozanam Manor has been a refuge for over 3,000 elderly and disabled homeless men and women and offered an opportunity to help stabilize their lives and move into permanent homes. Those of us who have supported and worked for Ozanam Manor can be proud of what the program has accomplished.

Since its beginning with St. Vincent de Paul in 1985, Ozanam Manor has come a long way, not in size, but in its connections with the community. What started out with a 45-percent success rate for our clients has now grown to 62 percent overall, and our clients continue to become stronger people. From day one, our primary responsibility has been to create an environment of physical safety, dignity and respect for the residents, without which, it would be very difficult for the residents to make the major changes needed in their lives.

Perhaps that’s what sets Ozanam Manor apart from other transitional shelters—we offer so much more than a bed and three meals a day. It’s about connection and one-on-one attention. Whether someone is given an individualized plan of goals or simply a hug if they’re having a particularly bad day, the quality and expertise of our case managers and mentors has been crucial to Ozanam Manor’s success.

Although many of our residents have held jobs and raised families prior to becoming homeless, most were not aware of the programs and services available to help them with their situation. The effort needed to overcome homelessness is overwhelming and Ozanam Manor provides a safe, constructive setting to do just that. The case managers and mentors help residents feel well-connected and confident, and act as agents in helping them get back on their feet. This hands-on approach truly helps break down barriers and empower these men and women to better their lives, develop skills and transition back to independent living.

Ozanam Manor has succeeded because of the dedication of the staff, our volunteers and the residents alike. Everyone’s duty has been to work together and to look out for his or her neighbor. It’s wondrous to see how it all comes together when formerly homeless people regain confidence and start their lives over. They contact estranged family members, talk about new job or volunteer opportunities with enthusiasm, and they express most sincere appreciation for St. Vincent de Paul and its work.

As for me, working at a homeless shelter for 25 years is something I had never envisioned. I have seen a lot of good in people and have witnessed truly heartwarming stories of recovery. I have had great fun developing and implementing programs along side the staff and residents of Ozanam Manor. As we continue bettering the lives of people who are living in transitional housing, it is our hope that one day people will no longer need our services.

Click here to learn more about Ozanam Manor or click here to donate to this program today!

The following is an excerpt of a Jan. 25, 2010 Time Magazine article written by Kevin O’Leary.

Photo Credit: Amy Sussman / Corbis

After her husband left her, Jennifer Santana lost her job. Evicted from her apartment, Santana, 37, held her family together by living with a friend and then in her van. But as the nights grew cold in early December, she stood huddled with her three children in front of the Orange County cold weather shelter in Santa Ana. “There were long lines of men and women and the people were laying out mats on the floor. It was scary. I could not believe I was standing there with my kids.”

In America’s communities, the local homeless shelter is just one step away from life on the street. Fortunately for Santana and other families, county and United Way funds pay for adults with children 18 and younger to be immediately housed in motels. Six weeks after moving into a motel, a small, unheralded federal program — the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) — began to help Santana move into an apartment. “I am so excited. Things are going to be normal again,” says Santana, a shorthaired blond who has found work as a licensed vocational nurse.

Click here to read more about this story…

Also be sure to check out When Joblessness Becomes Homelessness written by Douglas A. McIntyre.

Communicator with social work roots comes full circle

“Phoenix is a perfect place to live and work,” exclaims Susan de Queljoe, St. Vincent de Paul’s Director of Community Relations & Business Strategies, while sharing stories about her well-traveled communications career. “There is a vibrant and somewhat undiscovered business community here with tremendous and diverse talent. Many people in our business and public relations communities could easily work at big firms in Chicago or New York, but they make the lifestyle choice to be here.”

Susan herself is among these talented communicators, having earned an M.B.A. in Marketing from New York University and a B.A. in Communications from Michigan State University. During her career she has shared her skills in some interesting geographies. Several years ago she returned to Phoenix, having been born here but raised in Detroit.

“My mother was a social worker and had a Masters degree, which was unusual for a woman at that time. She had aspirations of my being the same, but I loved working at the college radio station so I majored in TV and radio production. I told my mother I could always be a social worker later.”

“After working a while in the broadcasting, I became fascinated with the advertising end of things and ended up with a Communications degree. After graduation, I worked first for a Chicago ad agency, then one in New York, and later in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Her knowledge of poverty over time formed the spirit of compassion and approach she brings to working with St. Vincent de Paul volunteers and donors.

In high school, a friend volunteered with an inner-city Detroit woman who baked bread and took it to poor families. Susan joined in and learned first-hand how challenging seemingly simple things like putting food on the table could be.

She also traveled with a mission to Appalachia during high school, and in the backwoods of Kentucky encountered more vivid imagery.

“I saw broken down cars, litter outside of very small homes, kids with dirty tee shirts… there were such contrasts between inner city and rural poverty. However, the worst situations I’ve ever witnessed were in Indonesia.”

While living in Asia during the mid-nineties, Susan participated in an adventurous boat trip through the Indonesian islands. “Rugged places, off the beaten path,” she describes.

“In Agats (Irian Jaya), there were many children with red hair, which is a sign of malnutrition, and people with swollen bellies and body sores. Nevertheless, these people were so welcoming and willing to share what little they had with visitors. I’ve never been in such a devastatingly poor place, and I’ve never felt so out of place. Being there made me feel too fortunate. I realized I had to do more.”

So after that trip she met the Catholic Bishop of Agats who needed funds to send children overseas for schooling. She quickly helped him raise $150,000.

Fast forwarding to present day finds Susan immersed in community relations activities for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix. Her talent for building relationships with local media and businesses helps promote the work of SVdP so people can better understand what the organization does and become more involved.

“It dawned on me only recently that I’ve come full circle,” she says. “What I do now with St. Vincent de Paul is a perfect pairing of my communication skills and desire to honor my mother’s social work.”

Susan also directs the Society’s eight Valley thrift stores, overseeing call center, shipping and warehouse processes that bring in goods for sale. Her continuing challenge with the stores is to keep making them more profitable because revenues support SVdP programs and services.

She explains that there is no other organization like SVdP in Phoenix that provides so many different services, to so many people, through so many volunteers; 16,000 volunteers in all.

“Every month we help keep thousands of families from becoming homeless in some big and equally important small ways.”

Take St. Vincent de Paul’s dental clinic, for example. It sees over a hundred children each month.

“These kids are in such pain they can’t even focus on their school work,” Susan explains. “Imagine being in second grade trying to learn something when you have constant pain in your mouth. Our dental and medical clinics provide services for people who otherwise would not have any health care. We’re grateful to the volunteers, doctors, dentists, donors and employees who help people become healthier day in and day out.”

Susan also suggests that there are many small, yet important ways that St. Vincent de Paul makes a difference in the lives of homeless people and working poor families.

“It’s unfortunate that too many families have to live right on the edge,” she continues. “Imagine a father working two jobs to support his family. He gets a flat tire and doesn’t have enough money to fix it, so he misses work, loses one or both of his jobs, and now instead of barely paying the rent he can’t even come close to covering it.”

“A new tire would mitigate this whole mess. We see clients experiencing the chain reaction of poverty and misfortune every day, and we keep finding ways to help with items like auto repair so they can remain focused on moving to economic stability.”

St. Vincent de Paul charity dining rooms also contribute significantly to the community. Working poor families stretch their budgets by having meals in the dining halls and retaining their money for other essentials like clothes, rent and utilities. For homeless individuals, these meals are often their only hot meal for the day.

For Susan, families in the dining rooms, children in the dental clinic, shoppers in the thrift stores, and volunteers keeping it all running, with the gracious aid of donor funds is a daily occurrence. She feels fortunate to be an integral part of St. Vincent de Paul, no matter what new situation each day brings.

“Sometimes we’re just the spare tire that gets a father to work, but whatever the need, big or small, it’s heartening to see people join together to serve others.”

HUD seeks better understanding of current economic impact on homelessness with quarterly homeless statistics reports

The Homelessness Pulse project is intended to help the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gain a better understanding of the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness. This understanding relies heavily on collecting up-to-date information on how counts of homeless persons may be changing as the crisis unfolds.

HUD reports to Congress each year in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) on the status of homeless populations and services in the United States, drawing on a nationally representative sample of communities and presenting a comprehensive analysis. But at present, the data on homelessness reported to HUD—whether through the AHAR or through the homeless services funding process—are only collected annually, which limits HUD’s ability to track real-time changes in homelessness. Read the full report…

HUD issues 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress

On a single night in January 2008, there were 664,414 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons nationwide. Nearly 6 in 10 people who were homeless at a single point-in-time were in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs, while 42 percent were unsheltered on the “street” or in other places not meant for human habitation.

About three-fifths of the people homeless on a single night were homeless as individuals (62 percent), while two-fifths (38 percent) were homeless as part of a family. Family members were much less likely than individuals to be unsheltered. About 27 percent of all homeless family members were unsheltered on the night of the point-in-time count, while almost half of homeless individuals were unsheltered.

One-day PIT counts of homelessness changed little between 2007 and 2008: the total number of homeless persons decreased by about 1 percent or 7,500 people. Read the full report…

Are you or someone you know in danger of being homeless and need help? Visit St. Vincent de Paul online to learn more.