Get to Know OurCalling

Jan 13, 2016

OurCalling

Website: www.ourcalling.org

Twitter: @OurCalling

1.  What do you see alone or two of the greatest challenges to helping the homeless and the hungry in North Texas?

Understanding the problem(s) confronted by these beleaguered individuals is a significant part of how best to help them.  Most North Texas residents are simply unaware of what homelessness really is…and very often give “helps” that create a danger or risk for people in need.  OurCalling educates its volunteers on the realities of homelessness, introduces them to the systems in place (locally) which provide meaningful helps to people living in crisis, and equips North Texas residents to offer many appropriate helps smartly and personally.  

2.  How would you describe your mission, and how are you specifically helping the homeless and the hungry?  

OurCalling is a nonprofit organization that serves the poorest people in Dallas County — the unsheltered homeless.  It is our mission to build long-term relationships with the homeless and provide the guidance necessary to help them develop sustainable lifestyles with accountability and integrity.  

We operate a facility near Fair Park where homeless individuals come for food, mentoring, life skills development and personal products.  Staff and volunteers invite the development of personal relationships and encourage our homeless guests to take meaningful steps towards positive life changes.  

We provide:  a cafe serving breakfasts and lunches; showers and lockers; life skills classes; addiction recovery seminars; mentoring; bible classes; resourcing of personal products.  We also have “Search & Rescue” teams that track the unsheltered homeless under bridges, in woods, behind liquor stores, in drug houses, and within abandoned buildings.  

Our mobile database and iPhone app allow us to identify where homeless individuals are living, or where they were last seen.  We also collect information that allows our volunteers to further the personal relationships with individuals we serve.  

3.  Can you give us an example of a person (named or unnamed) who has benefited from your services? How have they benefited? If it’s appropriate, tell us a short story.

A great example of successfully building solid trust with a homeless friend is that of Chris Silva.  Chris was doing well at a long-term rehab program (elsewhere in Dallas) but recently relapsed and was temporarily suspended from it.  Homeless once again, he literally had nothing and no one.  He came directly to OurCalling.  

Although we may not agree that Chris is doing all the right things at this critical time in his life, we consider it a “win” to be the ones who have earned the right to speak truth and grace into his life.  In this way, we offer stability and emotional security that can only come through personal relationships.  

Chris came back to OurCalling in a time of need because he knew that he would be known and welcome — and recognized as a friend.  

4.  Is there anything new that you are focused on for the coming year? Any new initiatives?

YES.  TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS (new app for iPhone).  

We continue to enrich our relationships within the homeless community through the development of vital and impactful innovations.  Most currently, we have created a new app for iPhone (Android version is coming soon).

This is an extraordinary innovation.  The new app features a database of service providers in Dallas with over 250 resources available by location, category and qualifications.  Users can view listings on a map, or sort the list by distance from the user’s location.  

The app includes contact information and registration criteria for health care services, addiction and recovery services, Alcoholics Anonymous and various life skill training opportunities, along with many other local services and resources.  This is an invaluable resource for volunteers and homeless individuals all over Dallas County. More information at ourcalling.org/app.

5.  What else should North Texas residents know about your work?

OurCalling is the only discipleship ministry for the homeless in North Texas.

Help charities like OurCalling by donating to The Dallas Morning News Charities today: http://bit.ly/1QGHGrE

Get to Know Crossroads Community Services

Jan 11, 2016

Crossroads Community Services

Website: www.ccsdallas.org

Twitter: @CrossroadDallas

1. What do you see as one or two of the greatest challenges to helping the homeless and the hungry in North Texas?

One of our greatest challenges at Crossroads is knowing how much food assistance families need. Every family faces different challenges and is facing a different set of obstacles to getting the quantity of food they need.

Our primary goal is to provide families with large quantities of nutritious food, but it is often hard to tell if we’re providing everything they need. We do not want families to have to spend their time, gas, bus fare, etc. travelling to multiple food pantries when we have the ability to provide what they need.

Another challenge Crossroads faces is providing the variety of food our client families want and deserve. Because we specialize in only providing nutritious foods (lean proteins, fresh produce, etc.) that families can use to build balanced meals, variety is constantly a challenge.

2. How would you describe your mission, and how are you specifically helping the homeless and the hungry?

Crossroads’ mission to provide low-income families with large quantities of nutritious foods, and to provide nutrition education that can help reduce obesity in impoverished areas. We provide families with large quantities of healthy foods – a family of four will receive around 100 pounds of groceries each time they visit Crossroads!

We offer a variety of healthy options in each food group for families to choose from. We then offer families recipes for how to prepare healthy meals, and portion suggestions for each family member based on their age, gender, and activity level. When a family leaves with 100 pounds of proteins, grains, fresh fruits and vegetables they are saving around $200 that month, dollars that can be allocated toward housing, utility, medical or education related expenses.

3. Can you give us an example of a person (named or unnamed) who has benefited from your services? How have they benefited? If it’s appropriate, tell us a short story.

Fritzi has been coming to Crossroads for just over five years to help with groceries for her husband, Carlos, and their four children. When her husband was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few years ago, the way they ate had to change.

Thankfully, Crossroads is able to provide Fritzi with the healthy food options her family needs that often are not available in their neighborhood. Fritzi does not always need Crossroads’ assistance. Carlos has been working for the same cement company for 17 years and generally earns enough to support his family, but when the weather is bad or the ground is too muddy he does not work. Recently, with all of the rain and bad weather, Carlos has not been able to work as many days as he needs. But thankfully Crossroads is here to help the family with groceries so that the money he does earn can pay their rent, for his medications and anything else the family needs.

4. Is there anything new that you are focused on for the coming year? Any new initiatives?

In 2016, Crossroads is excited to take our work with our research partners to a new level. Crossroads partners with behavioral economists, medical researchers, the North Texas Food Bank Hunger Center, and others to both learn how we can better serve our clients and to give our clients a voice in matters which directly affect their lives.

For example, researchers at UT Southwestern are interested in learning more about the health challenges facing low-income populations, but accessing those individuals is difficult. By hosting focus groups and creating surveys of Crossroads’ clients the researchers can learn more about the health obstacles our client families face, where there are gaps in service, etc., and our clients have a platform to voice their needs and opinions to those who regularly report to policy makers and service providers.

5. What else should North Texas residents know about your work?

In 2006, Crossroads began development of an innovative and new approach to food distribution. We used a hub-and-spoke model to get nutritious foods to neighborhoods of Dallas County that need it the most. Crossroads leverages existing resources, the North Texas Food Bank’s ability to provide tons of fresh produce and healthy food, and the resources and passion of the Community Distribution Partners (“spokes”) to make the biggest impact in fighting hunger in our community.

We are very excited that the North Texas Food Bank has embraced this model and will be rolling it out throughout their 13 county service area in the coming years. Working together, food-insecure families across North Texas receive healthy food options in their neighborhoods.

Help charities like Crossroads Community Services by donating to The Dallas Morning News Charities today: http://bit.ly/1QGHGrE

Get to Know Brother Bill’s Helping Hand

Dec 28, 2015

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand

Website: www.bbhh.org

Twitter: @BrotherBills

1. What do you see as one or two of the greatest challenges to helping the homeless and the hungry in North Texas?

One challenge is getting a wide variety of food to stock the shelves of our free Grocery Store (food pantry).  

2. How would you describe your mission, and how are you specifically helping the homeless and the hungry?

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand enriches the lives of men, women, and children in West Dallas by empowering through learning, encouraging through relationships, and ensuring the essentials of life.  Brother Bill’s Helping Hand provides food for the hungry, quality health care for uninsured adults; educational classes for adults; job training for women’ and camp, birthday parties and Christmas gifts for children.

3. Can you give us an example of a person (named or unnamed) who has benefited from your services? How have they benefited? If it’s appropriate, tell us a short story.

Each month, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand provides home delivery of food to senior citizens who can cook, but are unable to drive. Volunteers do more than just drop off their deliveries, they stay to visit with these special neighbors, listen to their stories, and share some joyous moments.  Over the last couple of months, several of our Home Delivery neighbors have had birthdays. Two turned 98. Volunteers went the extra mile by bringing a birthday party to their front door with cupcakes, candles and birthday wishes.

4. Is there anything new that you are focused on for the coming year? Any new initiatives?

In January, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand will begin a financial training program for men. The group will meet for Saturday morning breakfast over an eight-week period and work through “Faith & Finances,” a program designed by The Chalmer Center in Atlanta.  PathWays, a 120-hour job and financial training class for women held twice a year at BBHH, has used the program for the past three semesters. Participants in this program have experienced success as they learned to manage their money and their lives. Our expectation is that the men’s class will do the same.

5. What else should North Texas residents know about your work?

Brother Bill’s Helping Hand has served West Dallas for 75 years. The ministry provides opportunities for lives to be changed for the present, the future, and for eternity.

Help charities like Brother Bill’s Helping Hand by donating to The Dallas Morning News Charities today: http://bit.ly/1QGHGrE

Get To Know The Bridge

Dec 23, 2015

Website: www.bridgenorthtexas.org

1. What do you see as one or two of the greatest challenges to helping the homeless and the hungry in North Texas?

The two greatest challenges to helping members of our community who are experiencing homelessness are the lack of affordable and supportive housing and the increasing poverty in Dallas. An estimated 22 percent of Dallas residents live in poverty and 48 percent of renters in Dallas live in housing that is unaffordable given their income.

2. How would you describe your mission, and how are you specifically helping the homeless and the hungry?

The Bridge’s purpose is to end adult long-term homelessness in Dallas and the surrounding region by providing assistance and recovery services to citizens in need. Guests at The Bridge are provided with emergency and transitional shelter, meals, primary and behavioral health care, income and housing placements, educational and recreational services, and much more. The Bridge last year served more than 9,000 individuals, and since opening in 2008, it has surpassed more than 2,000 job placements and 2,000 housing placements.

3. Can you give us an example of a person (named or unnamed) who has benefited from your services? How have they benefited? If it’s appropriate, tell us a short story.

When you lose someone you love, your life can spiral out of control before you know what hit you. That’s what happened to Judith when her husband unexpectedly died. She became overwhelmed by depression and started living on the streets.

It was the most difficult time in her life. Not knowing where her next meal would come from or where she would be sleeping each night took a huge toll on Judith emotionally, physically and mentally.  She had little hope, and the only thing that kept her spirits up was the companionship of her dog, Budwizer. (Judith intentionally misspells the name to avoid confusion with the beer.)

When she decided to seek help, Judith learned that The Bridge was the only place that would allow her to keep Budwizer, whom she had grown to love like her own child. While he stayed in The Bridge’s on-site kennel, Judith was able to receive meals, shelter and treatment for her depression.

After a full recovery from homelessness, she was placed into an apartment in June 2015. Judith expressed her appreciation to the fantastic staff at The Bridge for helping to save her and Budwizer.

4. Is there anything new that you are focused on for the coming year? Any new initiatives?

The Bridge is endeavoring to continue to partner with organizations and government agencies to increase developments inclusive of affordable housing and link such developments to support services for people with long-term needs. The Bridge is also working to increasingly partner with contributors and agencies to expand services, programs, facilities and other related assets in order to sustain positive impacts in light of increasing community needs.

5. What else should North Texas residents know about your work?

Since The Bridge’s campus opened in 2008, serious (Part I) crime has dropped 49 percent, and millions of dollars have been saved through reductions in the number of people experiencing homelessness who spend time in the jail, hospital and court systems.

The Bridge is supported by the Downtown Residents Council and downtown corporations through fundraising and other volunteer activities, and The Bridge has been collaborating to help develop the surrounding area.

The Bridge is supported by Dallas voters, as evidenced by overwhelming support at the polls for two bond referendums that funded its development and a survey in April 2015 of registered voters by The Dallas Morning News, which indicated that more residents favor reducing funding for law enforcement and parks than cuts to homeless services should the City of Dallas’ budget need to be reduced.

Help agencies like The Bridge by donating to the DMN Charities here.

Today is North Texas Giving Day!

Sep 17, 2015

Today is the big day! North Texas Giving Day is an online giving event for people in North Texas to come together and raise as much money as possible for local charities in less than 24 hours. The Dallas Morning News Charities funds 24 local organizations that help those who are homeless, hungry and able to rehabilitate. You can find the full list of organizations by clicking here.

Donations can be made up until midnight tonight, so there’s still time to give and make a difference in our community! Head HERE to make a donation, then share with your family and friends so they can participate, too.

Here’s a little bit more about us:

Mission Statement
The Dallas Morning News Charities raises money to support programs and services for the hungry and homeless in North Texas. The Charities fulfill this mission through a close alignment with the Communities Foundation of Texas and selected nonprofit agencies that serve those in need by providing food, clothing, transitional housing, financial assistance and other forms of short-term relief to the homeless and those on the verge of homelessness. This is a fund at Communities Foundation of Texas.
Agency Needs
Together we can make a difference. Poverty robs people of dignity, hope and the power to determine their own future, but together we can make a difference. The problem of both chronic and transitional homelessness needs donors from across our North Texas community. Donations help provide food, clothing, transitional housing, financial assistance and other forms of short-term relief to the homeless and those on the verge of homelessness. The Dallas Morning News Charities funds 25 local organizations that help those who are homeless, hungry and able to rehabilitate. The News pays all administrative costs of the campaign, which means 100% of all gifts go directly to the agencies for basic needs like food, shelter, emergency assistance and job training. Making a difference only takes a moment. Thank you!