Join us for the 5th Annual Homelessness Vigil in Spartanburg

 

 

Homelessness Awareness Week starts on Sunday, and we’re hosting the 5th Annual Homelessness Vigil on Thursday, November 17. I don’t have to tell you how important this week is to our organization – helping the homeless is what we’re focused on all year. But next week, many people who rarely think about the homeless will be compelled to. If you’d like to be a part of raising their consciousness to the plight of our neighbors and friends on the streets, please join us!

Upstate Homeless Coalition introduces new permanent housing for homeless people with disabilities

We’re excited to announce today that our new program, Home At Last (H.A.L), will launch on Nov. 1 and will provide permanent housing for homeless individuals with disabilities and homeless families with at least one member who has a disability. H.A.L will serve Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties with 15 households.

Our director of programs and fund development, Linda Wilson, had this to say: “Living with a disability or caring for a family member with a disability can be challenging enough with a roof over your head. The added struggle of homelessness and poverty can be too much to handle. We’re thrilled to launch the Home At Last program and to be able to offer permanent housing to individuals and families in need.”

To qualify for the program, applicants must be within a specified low-income bracket and must provide a letter from a physician or other qualified professional certifying the disability.

The introduction of the H.A.L program this fall was made possible in part by the success of the Upstate Homeless Coalition’s annual Bridesmaid’s Ball fundraiser that took place at the Greenville Marriott in February of this year. The 2012 Bridesmaid’s Ball is scheduled for Feb. 18, 2012, and tickets will go on sale in December.

Please start thinking now about purchasing your Bridesmaid’s Ball for this year, and think about who you might want to invite to come who has never been before. Ticket information is available at www.upstatehomeless.com.

The story on Fox Carolina.

-TD

 

Holiday Re-Gift Bazaar to Benefit the Anderson Sunshine House

As we shared on our Facebook page back in September, the Upstate Homeless Coalition is now responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Anderson Sunshine House. We wanted to let you know that the Anderson County Democratic Women will be hosting a charity Holiday Re-Gift Bazaar on Saturday, October 22nd, at the Anderson County Farmers Market, from 9:00am – 1:00pm, and all the proceeds will help benefit the Anderson Sunshine House to provide housing and services to local families in need.

Shoppers and bargain hunters will find unique, like-new and vintage items perfect for holiday gift-giving. All gifts come tied with ribbon, gift-tagged, and ready to share with friends and family. Recycled gifts are fun, eco-friendly, and Bazaar organizers invite the community to celebrate the holidays while helping a local charity serve the needs of our neighbors.

If you want to find out more details about the event, contact Diana Vossbrinck, ACDW President at divoss@hotmail.com.

Cozy home in the overpass district.

This was one of our recent ads in The Greenville News. Please share with friend for a good dose of perspective. I think most of us are aware some people live here. We’ve seen them. Why are we ok with people living like this? We may say we are not, but our actions prove otherwise.

Upstate Homeless is helping a number of families and individuals who live in “the overpass district” get off the street and find their worth again. Help restore someone’s dignity. Is it $10 to you? Every dollar counts when every meal can mean life or death. Give online at upstatehomeless.com

–Tiffany

Homeless Kids special on 60 Minutes

60 Minutes ran an excellent segment last week on the plight of homeless families in the U.S. I encourage you to watch the segment and share it with your online network. These kinds of pieces are what we need to help bust myths about homelessness and replace stereotyping with compassion.

Bridesmaid’s Dress from Hell contest at Greenville Marriott for Upstate Homeless Coalition fundraiser

The Bridesmaid’s Ball, the Upstate Homeless Coalition‘s biggest event to raise money for eliminating homelessness in Greenville, was Saturday night at the Marriott in Greenville, SC — and let me tell you, it was a blast! J Dew from the Greenville Drive was the MC for the evening and we had live music with Big Time Band. Always a highlight of the evening, the Bridesmaid’s Dress from Hell contest was…

The Bridesmaid's Dress from Hell contestants (I'm in the hot pink)!

…shall we say, interesting? Thank to all the ladies who participated in the contest; you make the Bridesmaid’s Ball the most unique event in Greenville.

More details from the ball to come! Until then, enjoy the view in the photo.

–Tiffany

Can you see me wearing this? Um…

Tiffany poses with a dress for the Upstate Homeless Coalition's Bridesmaid's Ball

The Clothing Warehouse on Main Street in Downtown Greenville is having a Buy One, Get One Free dress sale from now until the end of January. What perfect timing to get your dress for the Bridesmaid’s Dress from Hell contest! Jamy over at TCW pulled a great selection of vintage dresses for me, and let me tell you – there were some winners in there.

You are officially invited to The Bridesmaid’s Ball

Please share this invitation with anyone and everyone! It’s a night of great fun, and it helps Upstate Homeless accomplish its mission of eliminating homelessness. You can play a huge part in our success this year. Please join us.

Dumpster diving.

Let's change this reality for our neighbors in the Upstate.

In high school I had friends who found dumpster diving to be a great thrill. They’d come back with worn Chucks or a still-working-albeit-grimy vacuum cleaner. For them it was a game; for many it is reality. Let’s help give our neighbors their dignity back this winter. Get involved with the Upstate Homeless Coalition.

-Tiffany

End it for your neighbors.

Ending homelessness must begin with the understanding that people who are or have been homeless are our neighbors and members of our community.

Public perceptions and attitudes toward persons experiencing homelessness or in danger of becoming homeless need to change in order for positive, long-term solutions to be realized. Most Americans rarely interact with people who are or who have been homeless. The lack of interaction between different groups of our society, combined with impersonal or inaccurate descriptions of homelessness posed by the media and public officials, contributes to a distancing of those who have housing from those who do not.

The Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau is both an accurate and dynamic tool that teaches and challenges tomorrow’s leaders as well as empower those who have experienced homelessness first-hand. By fostering an environment of self-worth, respect, and understanding for all people, the Speakers’ Bureau challenges us to believe that we can and should end homelessness.

For our first year in South Carolina, we have put on 95 presentations throughout the Upstate educating 6367 people. Our goal for next year is to triple our numbers. As we go into this year we are hoping many of you will invite us back again as well as receive first time invites. We need your support to keep this advocacy program alive! Our presentations can be brought in many different avenues. We also have different speakers with totally different stories. As the problem is growing, we need to counter it through education so we can truly reach our ultimate goal of ending homelessness.

We also have some other great ideas in mind for next year. Not only will we do our traditional presentations, but we will incorporate some very creative way to educate the public. If you didn’t get to participate in our 4^th Annual Homeless Vigil (that was a huge success) don’t worry, it will be back next year on November 17^th , 2011.

Please contact me at dharrison@upstatehomeless.com or check out the Speakers’ Bureau’s Facebook page to get involved. Help us spread the word of all we are doing. Have a great day and thank you again for all your support.   

This blog post was written by the Upstate Homeless Coalition‘s own Dawna Harrison, who is our Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau
Coordinator. To hear Dawna’s experiences and triumph over homelessness, check out her segment in our documentary film, “Just One Away.”