Spaces Open for Volunteering at CRM!

Kim volunteers at CRM.

We have plenty of space (currently) available for our upcoming volunteer orientation on Tuesday, July 2 at noon. Yes, it really is almost July ;) Below are some of the areas where "Rescuers" are most needed:

• Women and Children's Shelter: evening check-in volunteer, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. There is one spot available for each day. This is an opportunity for a woman volunteer.
• Men's Shelter: breakfast server Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There is only spot available for each day. This is an opportunity for a man or a couple.
• Thrift Store: most days from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). This is great for groups up to 6! Can be men or women. Bring your teenage children to help ;)

If you are interested in filling any of these positions or learning more about volunteering to help us help others check out the "Get Involved" page of our website (for our volunteer application). This page will also have further descriptions regarding these and other opportunities. To contact our volunteer coordinator, email volunteers@BEaRESCUER.com or call 517.485.0145.

Shelter By the Numbers

It's that time again, or, to be more technical, it's "stats" time again. Math is definitely not my first language, and while the moving "voice" of our guests gives life to the services we provide, I am still somewhat in awe of the sheer amount of those services. With May numbers coming in, we see the trend for an increase in needs, especially for shelter, only continuing.

 

An overview of the past few years reveals that:

• In 2010 (before renovations were completed on our expanded women and children's shelter), we provided 33,375 nights of shelter (20,427 to men, 12,948 to women and children);
• In 2011 (with renovations completed in the Spring), we provided 48,705 nights of shelter (20,958 to men, 27,747 to women and children). That equaled out to an increase of 42 people every night;
• In 2012, increases continued, with shelter surpassing the 50,000 mark at 51,891 nights of shelter. That nightly average was less dramatic but still came to 9 people every night;
• In 2013, if the current trend shown for the first five months of this year continues, we will repeat 2012 with an additional 9 people every night, to bring our nightly total to 151 people and over 55,000 nights of shelter.

 

A lot of numbers and words to mean that in three years (2011-2013) we will have increased capacity to shelter 60 more people every night than we did in 2010. "Increased capacity" is a generous term that includes so much more than finding space in which to put a bed. Each person requiring shelter also requires food, hygiene items, electricity, water, support staff (for intake, kitchens, maintenance, etc.), and more. These increased needs were met without any real change to the overall budget since 2011.

 

In the June 2013 newsletter, we reported that services are "up" while giving is "down." We are so grateful to those "fellow Rescuers" who continue to give faithfully, whether monetarily or from our needs list, even during difficult times. Thank you to volunteers, whose thousands of volunteer hours provide much needed support to staff. And thank you to our prayer warriors, who pray for the Mission, its needs, and our guests. Truly, you are making a difference in Michigan's capital area by helping us help others!

Rapidly Rehousing Homeless Families: New York City—a Case Study

Recently, the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness published a report addressing the "Rapid Rehousing" or "Housing First" programs that have been seen as the key to ending homelessness. This report, which uses New York City's program as a case study, seems to echo many of our own concerns regarding the "Housing First" mindset.

In summary, the difficulties with the "Rapid Rehousing" program uncovered in New York City are

• an "explosion" of homeless rates, as those "doubling up or living in substandard housing" moved into shelters to take advantage of housing assistance available to those who were "verified" homeless (usually proven by a shelter verification of stay);
• an overload on the shelter system as the numbers of homeless underwent the eligibility process to receive housing assistance;
• an increase in "recidivism" (return to homelessness) and its included costs, as many underlying issues of homelessness were not addressed and led to a cycle of homelessness;
• once the "housing first" subsidies were halted, families "caught" in the cycle of homelessness were unable to find housing at all, resulting in an increase in not only the amount of those staying in shelter but also in the amount of time they stayed.

"The lesson to be drawn from all of this should be clear: 'one size fits all' policies for addressing family homelessness do not work. Not all families are equal. Some families successfully transitioned to permanent housing after their shelter stays, but others did not. Many have multiple needs beyond simple housing that should be addressed before their move to independent living. Rapid rehousing was a failed experiment that produced unwanted incentives and unwarranted costs, all of which the city's Department of Homeless Services must now address. In New York City, rapid rehousing became a short-term fix for a long-term problem. Whether or not it is successful in the future in other parts of the country, for now the caution light is on."

Ralph da Costa Nunez, PhD
President and CEO

To read the full report, click here: http://www.icphusa.org/index.asp?page=16&report=107

Recycling for Rescue

Recycling efforts have helped
provide over 17,000 meals!

This summer will mark our 10th anniversary in "recycling for Rescue" with the help of FundingFactory, a company which recycles used inkjet and toner cartridges, as well as cell phones and other small electronics.

 

How it works (per their website) is that “every qualifying item you send in has a cash value that's credited to your online account. And everything you send to FundingFactory is responsibly recycled or remanufactured.”

 

Since 2003, we have recycled nearly 1,200 pounds of cell phones, 3,500 pounds of inkjets ,and 83,000 pounds of toners. Per our “sustainability report,” which shows the impact made through our recycling efforts, the resources we've collected are 31,950.28 lbs. Plastic, 2,711.16 lbs. Nylon, 27,457.71 lbs. Steel, 3,582.22 lbs. Aluminum, and 209.82 lbs. Copper. Altogether we've offset CO2 emissions from the consumption of 101,700 gallons of gasoline.

 

 All this adds up to $45,706.12 since we sent in our first shipment about 10 years ago.  As for the impact on people’s lives, at current budget numbers it adds up to about 2,285 nights of shelter or 17,247 meals.

 

If your business, church, or organization would like to partner with us in "recycling for Rescue," follow this link (http://www.fundingfactory.com/register/register_supporter.aspx) and put in the Mission's ID Number: #29930.

 

For more information on FundingFactory, visit http://www.fundingfactory.com or you can call us at 517.485.0145

A Message from Mark: "Good Friday, indeed!"

Loved Ones,

Today, I can’t help but reflect on the depravity of man and the impact of sin.  I think we don’t

often remember or attempt to weigh the impact of our rebellion against God.  Consider how dead we were in our transgressions and sins in which we once lived.  Consider what it would be like to fall in the hands of a living God without knowing Christ. Consider this day where we would be if God didn’t awaken our hearts and enable us to see the uselessness of our rebellion against Him.

 

Oh what marvelous and matchless grace! “Grace, grace…marvelous grace!”  Can you see it today?  Let’s take a moment and reflect on God’s loving act on Calvary.  Thank Him for enabling us to cling to His righteousness through faith.  “It is by grace you have been saved through faith.” 

 

Please join me in remembering the rich mercies of God in which He loved us.  Yes, even when we were dead in our sin and transgressions.  How much easier it is to be a servant to others when we reflect on the price that was paid on our behalf. We are not our own.  We were bought with a price. Let’s glorify God in what we do.  Thank you for being an important part of the ministry of rescue.  Your role at the Mission helps to bring the transgressor nearer to the cross of Calvary in order to see the glory of the Gospel!  The beauty of Christ…victory over sin and death!

 

Good Friday, indeed!

 

To God be the Glory,
Mark Criss
Executive Director
City Rescue Mission of Lansing

The Difference a Decade Makes

There has been a lot of change at the Mission in the past ten years, and many of those are in the area of services. Much of the increase in need has occurred in the past six years, and we see little sign that there will be a decrease in the near future. Thank you, to all our fellow Rescuers, whose gifts to support the Mission enable us to continue to meet the physical and spiritual needs of women, children, and men in Michigan's capital area.

2002 Mission Services Statistics:
Personal Need (Hygiene Kits): 794
Nights of Shelter for Men: 9,440
Nights of Shelter for Women and Children: 8,252
Meals: 53,020

2012 Mission Services Statistics:
Personal Need (Hygiene Kits): 1,834
Nights of Shelter for Men: 21,477
Nights of Shelter for Woman and Children: 30,415
Meals: 106,742


Below are some events to help remind us just what happened in 2002:
The Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A Beautiful Mind won the Academy Award for Best Picture
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl.
The first anniversary of the September 11 attacks is held.
The Beltway Sniper attacks end with the arrests of the men involved.
The Iraq Disarmament Crisis occurs.
United Airlines and US Airways both file for bankruptcy.

City Rescue Mission Upscale Thrift

The City Rescue Mission of Lansing, in partnership with RMA, is in the process of opening a thrift store in Lansing. Since the Mission opened its clothing distribution center (as it is now called) in 1994, we have always had items donated which we could not use. Those items we could not distribute were sent to thrift stores, none of which supported the efforts of the Mission. The board and executive director, after reviewing ways to be better stewards of donations, decided to partner with RMA to open a thrift store.

 

While excess donations will be sold at the store, we will also continue our clothing distribution center to meet the clothing needs of the men, women, and children who are staying in our shelter. We will also continue to provide hygiene items through our personal needs closet.

 

For this reason, we are currently accepting donations of clothing, household items, small appliances, and small electronics. Once the thrift store is fully operational, we will also be able to accept furniture donations.

 

To keep updated on the progress of the thrift store, "like" us on facebook at www.facebook.com/BEaRESCUERthrift!