Tag Archive for: #communitypartnersofhope

Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope Mourns Death Of Beloved Men’s Shelter Worker

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William James Avery, a dedicated worker at the local men’s shelter, died last week. He was 80.

Avery completed his shift that began at 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 and ended the next morning at 6:30 a.m.

From there, he went to a medical appointment and suffered a medical emergency, according to his co-worker and friend, Shelter Manager Darryl Jones.

In a written statement, Jones said Avery “loved the shelter and the men who came there for help.  He gave selflessly of his time to this ministry and was anxiously awaiting the day when we could move into our new location at City Road Center for Hope.”

A service will be held at 11am, Saturday, Jan. 6, at Shiloh Baptist Church, 635 S. College Street in Henderson. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery. A viewing will be held from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 5 at Davis-Royster Funeral Home.
Avery was a Vietnam veteran and worked at General Motors for 30 years. He was a church deacon and sang in the men’s choir there. He began his work with the men’s shelter as a volunteer for nine years; he was a paid employee for six years.

Jones said Avery was someone he could count on – “reliable, faithful, dedicated, committed, trustworthy…he was all these things, but most of all, he was my friend.”

 

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Men’s Shelter To Have Sign-Raising Event On Saturday

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Join Community Partners of Hope Saturday morning to be a part of a “Raise Our Sign” event at the future home of the emergency men’s shelter at the former City Road Methodist Church.

Delthine Watson said this is a way to celebrate the next steps for the new men’s shelter.

“We’re going to raise the sign because God has brought us to a building, and we are grateful and thankful,” Watson said on Thursday’s TownTalk. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the site, located at 905 N. Garnett St., Henderson.

“We’ve worked through all of the steps and now we’re finally able to say ‘We’re here! We’re coming!’

The men’s shelter, currently operating out of the basement of the Presbyterian Church, opened on Oct. 1 to provide a place for unhoused men to seek refuge during the winter months, but Watson, CPOH’s community network specialist, said the goal is to have the new shelter open year ‘round.

“Regardless of whether you’re hot or cold,” (being homeless) is still the problem,” Watson said.

Individuals will be able to tour the building that will house the new shelter. With good luck, Watson said, work should begin in a few weeks to transform the fellowship building.

“We encourage you to join us …and to hear the changes that we want to make as we serve the community,” Watson said.

The current shelter can hold 12 men, and the new space will at least double that capacity.

“At some point, maybe we could serve families,” Watson mused. “The doors are wide open for what we can do…when your belief is strong and the community is supporting you.”

Call 919.339.1462 to learn more or visit www.cp-hope.org to learn how to donate.

The shelter currently needs donations of 30-gallon garbage bags, individual snacks for the men, and clothing such as pajama bottoms, thermal underwear, shower shoes and toiletry items.

 

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope To Open Men’s Shelter October 1

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The men’s emergency shelter will open for the season in just over a month, but if Delthine Watson has anything to say about it, it will be the last time that the shelter will be open only in the fall and winter months.

“People need a place to go…away from the elements,” Watson told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk. The weather is something we have no control over, so whether the shelter can provide relief from the harsh winter cold or the relentless summer heat, that’s what she wants to do.

“(Homelessness) is not a seasonal problem,” she said, “we’re just a seasonal shelter – at this point. But we are working on that.”

Watson, community network specialist for Community Partners of Hope, said plans to upfit the former City Road Methodist Church to become the permanent 12-month location for the men’s shelter is taking shape.

Once all the paperwork is signed – and the money raised to make the necessary renovations to transform the church property – Watson said they’d be able to accommodate more men.

“At City Road, we might be able to prepare meals and give the men a place to not just sleep,” she said, but also a place to socialize with others and make connections with other people.

CPOH is working hard to raise the money to fulfill the vision that’s been in the making for the past 15 years – this is the 16th year of operation for the men’s shelter.

This is the only men’s shelter in the four-county area, but Watson said they get calls from Durham and Wake counties and even from Virginia.

It’s hard to say just how many homeless people are in Vance County and beyond, but Watson said this about the problem: “When we are open, we are almost filled to capacity.”

“We have a lot of displaced people who have nowhere to go,” she said.

She said the shelter is a “beacon of light” to people who have nothing. “If you come to the shelter, we give you clean clothes, and a meal and we give you hope.”

The shelter opens its doors at 5:30 each afternoon, but staff doesn’t always know how many men will enter. They try to have various sizes of clothing on hand and Watson said they have a special need for pajama bottoms and underwear.

They’ve got a lot of socks, but she said she would never turn away a donation from the community.

We are Community Partners of Hope, she said, emphasis on community.

There are opportunities for individuals and groups to support and contribute to the shelter, from signing up to provide a meal to making a monetary donation.

Visit www.cp-hope.org or follow them on Facebook to learn about all the ways to help

“Whatever it is you’re willing to do, we appreciate it,” Watson said. “We welcome whatever it is you want to do.”

Here’s how she looks at homelessness: “it’s not a goal you strive for, it’s something that happens to you. Showing a little kindness can go a long way.”

The shelter staff and the community that offers support lets the men know that they are loved and cared for, she said.

Watson can be reached at 252.767.0344.

Make checks payable to CP-OH Building Fund of CP-OH Operating Fund, P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536.

 

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Men’s Homeless Shelter Seeks To Expand

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When City Road Methodist Church merged with First United Methodist Church, it didn’t take long for someone to figure out that the now-vacant facility would make a perfect permanent location for the emergency men’s homeless shelter.

Community Partners of Hope, Inc. has overseen the shelter during the winter months out of the basement of First Presbyterian Church for 14 years, but the hope has long been to expand the shelter to operate all year long and to provide additional services for those who need help.

It’s a dream that Delthine Watson has had for some time, and that dream is coming closer and closer to becoming a reality.

Watson is Community Partners of Hope’s community network specialist and she said on Wednesday’s TownTalk that there will be an open house next weekend at the former church site to share the dream and vision to transform the building from a church sanctuary to a sanctuary of a different sort.

Board members, staff and others will be on hand Saturday, June 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and again on Sunday, June 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to answer questions about the transformation.

They’ve already chosen a name – City Road Center for Hope – Watson said. Now all they need is the money to make the necessary upgrades.

“We need $350,000 now – or soon – because we have to redo the building to make it a shelter,” Watson said. People already have been kind to offer services at low cost or no cost, but there’s still the cost of materials to consider, she said.

She hopes that all the work will be completed over the summer so the shelter will be able to open October 1 in its new location.

“If you’re homeless, come April 1, you’re still homeless,” Watson said, referring to the date that the shelter has closed in years past. She said she wants the shelter to be open 365 days a year, “to give our men some place to go. But while they’re there, we also want to provide them more services,” she said.

Whether it’s job skills or access to mental health services, the City Road Center for Hope is a spot where men experiencing homelessness can come for a range of services, from a meal and a warm bed and a clean change of clothes.

“That is our goal,” she said.

This is the only men’s shelter in the four-county area, Watson said, and they’ve accommodated men from as far away as Durham, Raleigh and southside Virginia.

“The need is very great,” she said. The City of Henderson is supporting the new shelter with $50,000, which is a great start. Watson hopes other community partners will step up and contribute as well.

Watson said the upcoming open house dates are for anyone with a desire to learn more about homelessness in Henderson and how the proposed shelter will serve that population.

“We can talk about it,” she said, “but come see it with your own eyes – come and visit and see.”

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope Helps Homeless Men

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Delthine Watson’s got the math memorized: 365 times 365 equals 133,225. But when you apply that simple calculation to the plan for the Community Partners of Hope men’s emergency shelter, the result can have life-altering consequences.

Watson, community network specialist for Community Partners of Hope, has complete faith that the community will help bring to fruition the dream to have the shelter open all year long. That plan is inching toward reality now – the shelter is opening a full month early this year, beginning Oct. 1. It previously had been open November through March.

“This year, with the support of the community, and listening to the community, we are opening up Oct. 1,” she told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s Town Talk. “We’re excited about that. But she is equally excited about the 365 Dream Team Campaign that calls for 365 entities -individuals, groups, clubs – to give $365 toward the goal of having the shelter and the services it offers open all year long.

Theirs is the only men’s shelter in the area, and Watson said they have clients who come from nearby counties, including Mecklenburg County, VA, for a warm, dry place to sleep. But the services end early in the morning and, as Watson points out, “during the daytime, they’re still homeless.”

The shelter is a place where men can get a hot meal, charge their phones, have a hot shower and a clean change of clothes, she said.

But once the shelter has its own space and can stay open all year, there could be opportunities for additional services and training to further help clients improve their life situations.

“Just imagine,” Watson said, “we could be able to operate all year, we could get a building…our dreams would come true.”

The $365 – she certainly welcomes more and understands if donors need to give less – would “help us do the things that we need to do – that we want to do.”

Bringing men from homelessness to some type of self-sufficiency is the goal, but Watson acknowledged that each client may have different needs.

Shelter Manager Darryl Jones helps clients a great deal, Watson said, and encourages the ones as they make life choices that take them from homelessness toward self-sufficiency.

Hearing updates from clients who have gotten their lives back on track definitely make for “feel-good moments,” Watson said. “But we don’t have enough of those.” Through additional programming, some life-skills programming and other services, she said the shelter could give the men what they need and what they are looking for.

Visit www.cp-hope.org or call 919.339.1426 to learn more about the 365 Dream Team Campaign.

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope Looks To Community To Support Expansion

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Delthine Watson’s first involvement with Community Partners of Hope was as a volunteer who took home-cooked meals to share at the shelter. Today, Watson is the group’s community network specialist who is helping shape the vision to expand services to those who need help.

“That’s how I got started,” she told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk. “I would cook a meal and take it to the shelter. I couldn’t do much, but I could cook a meal.”

Watson was interested when the non-profit announced the creation of a new position to work in the community. It seemed like a good match, she said, adding that her real joy comes in helping others.

We’ve all needed assistance at one time or another, she said. Her belief is that we have all been ‘the least of these,’ those whom the Bible says we should treat with kindness. And Community Partners of Hope’s Christ-focused mission has the support of numerous churches throughout the Henderson area. “It really shows how the community has come together to work on a need,” she said.

Watson’s office is at First Presbyterian Church, a church she said has been “awesome. They have certainly been a blessing. Without their support and help it would have been much more difficult – not impossible, but much more difficult.”

One of the challenges is finding a way to have the shelter operating all year long instead of November through March. And having a place where the men who sleep at the shelter can go during the daytime where they can get job training or help with other challenges they face.

Currently, under COVID-19 protocols, Hope House has room for 10 men.

“I feel confident in saying there are many more men in need of assistance,” Watson said.

Long-range goals include having services for males, females and families, she said.

“Wouldn’t that be great? It would be wonderful if there could be a larger Hope House, to accommodate more men and help them move to a different place in their lives,” she said.

That dream can become a reality with community support – not just from the religious community, but from the community at-large.

As the old saying goes, “all it takes is time and money.”

She isn’t ready to get into the details yet, but she said a fundraising campaign will be announced “very soon.”

It’s an inevitable fact that in order to provide programs and services, there has to be money coming in to fund those programs and services. “You have to have it to be able to do what you need to do,” she said.

The group will be looking at possible locations where they can offer those expanded services, she added.

There are many ways to help, from making a monetary donation to providing needed supplies. Visit their Facebook page or website www.cp-hope.org

to find out exactly what they need, and to sign up to receive email updates.

While Watson admitted that it’s not likely the expansion of facilities or services will happen this year, she was quick to follow up with a disclaimer of sorts:

“Because we are are faith-based organization, we are a ministry – we don’t ever want to say never because we are not the ones in charge. If we believe in a Master who does miracles, then if He’s in the miracle-making business, who’s to say? Miracles happen all the time.”

 

 

Henderson Men's Shelter

Donations Needed for Henderson Men’s Shelter’s Season Opening

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Jane King, Community Partners of Hope

The Henderson Men’s Shelter opens on Sunday, November 1, 2020. Donations will be accepted at the shelter from 3 until 5:30 p.m. this Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22.

Donations may also be dropped off at the First Presbyterian Church office on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. If you need another time to drop off donations, please contact Jane at (252) 432-9494.

This year, the shelter needs eight suppers delivered in take-out plates and/or individual bags. When restaurants donate meals, the shelter will need a driver to pick up the food and deliver it at 6:45 p.m.

To see detailed information and to sign up to bring meals, please visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4AABAD2DA6FE3-mens

DONATIONS

Donated clothing and supplies are needed to keep the shelter running and the men warm and dry.

NEEDED ITEMS

  • Money – send checks to Community Partners of Hope, PO Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536
  • Nabs, protein bars, cereal bars
  • Instant hot chocolate mix (packets)
  • Cup of noodles
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Laundry pods
  • Paper towels
  • PineSol type cleaner (gallons)
  • Tall kitchen trash bags (13-gallon size)

The following new clothing items in sizes M, L, XL, 2X and 3X:

  • Underwear – boxers, briefs, t-shirts
  • Thermal sets – prefer dark colors
  • Flannel PJ bottoms
  • Waterproof men’s gloves

NOT NEEDED:

  • Soap, shampoo or other toiletries
  • Toothbrushes or toothpaste
  • Mugs or any other dishes
  • Breakfast cereals other than bars
  • Blankets, pillows or linens

PRAYERS

Please continue to hold the shelter and all who face homelessness in your prayers.

Henderson Men's Shelter

Henderson Men’s Shelter to Open Nov. 1; Meals & Donations Needed

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Jane King, Community Partners of Hope

The Henderson/Vance Emergency Men’s Shelter opens for the 2020-2021 season on November 1.

Volunteers and staff are busy at work getting the shelter ready to open with extra precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shelter can only house six men at a time, so stays are limited to 14 days (they can return after a week IF there is room).

Unfortunately, volunteers will not be used inside the shelter this year, but meals and donations are still needed. Someone is also needed to pick up meals from restaurants occasionally.

This year, meals must be delivered in take-out boxes so that the food is free from contamination. Eight meals will be needed each night (six men plus supervisors). Many men do not eat pork, so please avoid sending pork products.

If you bring beverages, they will need to be in individual bottles – water, tea, lemonade, etc.

If you want to use a local restaurant, please be sure the food is in individual servings (not a pizza in a large box).

The shelter is located in the basement of First Presbyterian Church in Henderson below the Fellowship Hall. Follow men’s shelter signs from the corner of Chestnut Street and Church Street – park in the alley and someone will come out to your car to get the meals.

You can sign up to bring meals by clicking here. If you need help signing up or if you have additional questions, please call Jane King at (252) 432-9494.

DONATIONS

Check the current list of needed donations at www.cp-hope.org/donate

PRAYERS

Please continue to hold the shelter, its guests, its staff, its volunteers and board of directors, and all who face homelessness in your prayers.

Henderson Men's Shelter

Henderson Men’s Shelter, Hope House to Open Under New COVID Guidelines

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Jane King, Community Partners of Hope

Community Partners of Hope has had to navigate some new obstacles this year, but with your help, we will continue to offer services to homeless men both in the emergency men’s shelter and in Hope House.

However, there will be some big changes for the upcoming shelter season which are necessary to keep everyone as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOLUNTEERS

We will not be able to use volunteers for supervision this year. Even with the strictest safety guidelines, we need to minimize the number of people who come into contact with our guests at the shelter, so we will depend on a minimum number of paid staff to cover all shifts and provide backup in case someone is not able to work a shift. This puts an added burden on our budget, so it would help greatly if you would consider donating money instead of your time as a volunteer this year.

MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY

The maximum occupancy for the 2020-2021 season will be six men. In order to maintain a minimum safe distance, we cannot house the 10-12 men we have had over the past year. This allows room for an adequate distance between sleeping spaces as well as during meals, showers, etc. To accomplish this we will limit stays to a maximum of 14 days. If a man still needs shelter after a seven-day break, he may return for another 14 days if there is room.

Health guidelines will be strictly enforced and if a man refuses to comply, he will be asked to leave. Where we have tried to be lenient in the past, the health and safety of our residents and staff require us to be very strict this year.

MEALS

We will still be asking people to sign up to bring meals, but in order to prevent the spread of germs, we are asking that volunteers bring eight meals served in take-out trays and/or lunch bags. Individual bottles of water, tea, or juice will be greatly appreciated.   Each man will receive his meal without touching any other person’s food. You can remain in your car when you bring the meal and someone will come out to get the food.

There are a few restaurants that will provide meals occasionally, but we need volunteers to pick those up and deliver to the shelter. If you know of a restaurant to add to our list, please contact me. Breakfast will consist of cereal bars, juice boxes, etc. that can be bagged for the men to take as they leave.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Everyone in the shelter MUST wear a mask over their mouth and nose except when eating, showering, or sleeping. Hand washing and social distancing will be enforced. Anyone who does not comply will be asked to leave.

We have asked the Health Department for guidance on cleaning, and we are exploring additional safeguards including an air handling system to circulate and disinfect the air in the shelter.

HOPE HOUSE

Our resident capacity will be limited to no more than four men. We have three men in Hope House at the moment, and the oversight committee is reviewing applications to accept one new resident. During this pandemic, we believe it safest to have only two men in each bedroom, and we are keeping the single room free in case of a need to quarantine.

The Hope House residents are following safety guidelines and keeping the house sanitized as much as possible.

DONATIONS

Here is a list of the most needed items:

  • Socks – white tube socks – not short socks or dress socks
  • Underwear – boxers and tee-shirts in sizes L, XL, 2X, and 3X
  • Thermal underwear – prefer black waffle weave – sizes L, XL, 2X, and 3X
  • Gloves – waterproof, please – not knitted
  • Shower shoes
  • Hand sanitizer in small bottles that men can carry in their pocket
  • Disposable razors
  • Toothpaste – sample sizes
  • Soap – travel sizes
  • Laundry pods – eliminates the problem of not measuring powder or liquid properly
  • Tall Kitchen Trash Bags (13 Gallon Size)
  • Pine-sol type cleaner – gallon containers
  • Spray shower cleaner (scrubbing bubbles or similar item)
  • Paper Towels
  • Bleach
  • Clorox spray cleaner plus bleach

We cannot accept used clothing, bedding, or other items. New items should be delivered in their original packaging.

Please do not bring donations to the shelter! Needed items can be delivered to WIZS radio station or to the First Presbyterian Church office in Henderson on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please contact Jane King at (252) 432-9494 to make other arrangements.

CONTRIBUTIONS

All contributions are tax-deductible.

Checks may be made out to CPOH and mailed to: Community Partners of Hope, PO Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536

PRAYERS

As always, we need your prayers. Please include our ministry on your church’s prayer list and encourage others to learn more about and pray for our guests, our staff, and all who make this possible.

Community Partners of Hope

Community Partners of Hope Updates: 220 Fundraiser Canceled, Gown Project Moved

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Jane King, Community Partners of Hope, Inc.

Updates from Community Partners of Hope:

Hope House

Six men are living in Hope House now, and all are doing well. Some have lost jobs during the COVID-19 shutdown, some are just going back to work.

Because of their situation, “shared expense” payments are temporarily suspended, so the cost of utilities, internet, etc. is coming out of Community Partners of Hope’s budget.

Hope House’s new roof has been delayed, with work expected to begin soon.

220 Fundraiser

The 220 Fundraiser originally scheduled for April 27, and rescheduled for Monday, June 29, has now been canceled.

If you purchased tickets and would like a refund, please call (252) 432-9494. Otherwise, your purchase will be considered a donation to Community Partners of Hope.

Protective Gown Project

If you want to help the community, please consider joining a group that has been making disposable protective gowns for the hospital and nursing home workers. This project was started by First Baptist Church in Henderson, and the work was done at McGregor Hall for a number of weeks.

The project is now moving to First Presbyterian Church (upstairs from the shelter), and we can use volunteers to create gowns from plastic sheeting to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19.

Work is done from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday – Friday and also 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The work is not difficult and someone can train you quickly.

All volunteers 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult. All volunteers will be screened upon arrival and must have a temperature below 100, no symptoms, and no known exposure to COVID-19 (including no known exposure by anyone in their household). Please bring a mask and scissors with you.

If you would like to help, please sign up online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A44ADAC2BA1FD0-protective

Donations

At this time, Community Partners of Hope is only in need of financial contributions. Expenses continue at Hope House even when the Henderson Men’s Shelter is closed for the season. Funds are still needed in the ongoing search for a new shelter location. All contributions are tax-deductible.

You may send a check to Community Partners of Hope, Inc, P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536