Is Houston Mean? Not If SEARCH Can Help It...
In the Spotlight: South Main Baptist Church
On The Look Out: In-Kind Needs
Is Houston Mean? Not If SEARCH Can Help It...
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Houston ranks 7th on the list of “meanest cities” for homelessness and poverty. The list was compiled according to the level of criminalization of homelessness, city ordinances against sitting or lying in specific public places, and the barring of begging in certain areas.
However, SEARCH sees an opportunity to be part of Houston’s solution. SEARCH’s Resource Center, with its emphasis on emergency and social services, provides a safe, productive place for the homeless to go during the day. SEARCH’s focus on education, job training, temporary housing, and case management provide pathways out of homelessness and into productivity. Furthermore, our Mobile Outreach Team combs the city on a regular basis to reach out to those in most desperate need with food, blankets, and medical attention. Houston may have topped the list as one of the meanest cities for homelessness, but SEARCH is working to change this!
Also topping the list are Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, along with smaller cities such as Little Rock, Arkansas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Santa Monica, California. Read the full article on MSNBC.
Each year, SEARCH likes to reflect on the impact we’ve had on our community. The generosity and dedication of our many donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and volunteers makes this impact effective and long-lasting.
If you’d like a copy of the full report, please email Leslie Biggs at lbiggs@searchproject.org or Thao Costis at tcostis@searchproject.org.
In the Spotlight: South Main Baptist Church
SEARCH would like to send a special thanks to South Main Baptist Church, whose support over the past year has been instrumental in changing lives and ending homelessness. Listed below are some of the many ways this special congregation has made a difference.
Thank you, South Main Baptist Church.
Rise and Shine on March 9, 2006
Looking to get your congregation involved with SEARCH? If so, be sure your pastor or key leader from your congregation attends the “Day of Thanks” Celebration planning breakfast on March 9th, from 8am-9am at South Main Baptist Church. The focus of the breakfast is to develop an agenda for the Council of Congregation’s “Day of Thanks” ecumenical gathering event on June 1st.
Come help us plan this special, city-wide event! Our goal is to have at least 50 representatives at the breakfast, representing congregations all over the city. If you wish your congregation to be represented on June 1st, please be sure your pastor or other key leader attends.
“Raymond” is a forty-year old white male. He relocated to Houston, but unable to obtain employment and suffering from substance abuse, he ended up in a shelter. It was then that he came to SEARCH for assistance. After meeting with him, the case manger discovered he could not read or write. He was enrolled immediately into the Adult Literacy Program where he learned basic skills. Working with the Job Developer, he directly addressed his employment issues. As his confidence and literacy skills improved, he was able to read and understand basic information needed to fill out job applications. Within three months, not only did his reading increase over four grade levels but he also obtained gainful employment as an over-the-road CDL truck driver. He is now employed full time and no longer homeless.
Thank you to all our donors who make success stories, like Raymond’s, happen every day!
On The Look Out: In-Kind Needs
Thank you so much for the continued in-kind donations! We could not clothe, house, and feed Houston’s homeless without them. However, there are always items of need. Our ongoing, biggest needs are:
Sandwiches for the Mobile Outreach Program
Sandwiches are distributed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings through Mobile Outreach to individuals who are living on the streets. If your group would like to help, SEARCH is always in need of at least 75 sandwiches each evening. Please deliver sandwiches (dry, please— just bread and meat, turkey or ham), in a small zip-lock bag, Monday – Thursday by 12 p.m. to SEARCH. If you would like to include chips, an apple, granola bar, juice box, etc. to make a sack lunch, you may. Please include everything in a brown bag.
SEARCH Survival KitsThese helpful, handy kits are sold as fundraisers for SEARCH for $5 each. Once purchased, Survival Kits are meant to be handed out to homeless persons living on the streets, or to panhandlers. The kit includes healthy, non-perishable food, a bus token, a bus map route and a list of Houston shelters in a large zip-lock bag. SEARCH supplies the bus token, bus route and shelter list, but we are always in need of food donations to include in the kits. Ideal food items include canned meat that may be opened by hand, small packs of crackers (cheese or peanut butter), granola bars, napkins, juice boxes with straws, applesauce, mint candies, and plastic utensils. Assembled, zip-lock packages may be dropped off at SEARCH, Monday through Friday, 9a.m. to 5p.m. Please be sure that the zip-lock bag can be sealed!
Other items of need include non-perishable food, cooking utensils, bedding, work-ready clothing, blankets and sleeping bags.
Thank you, SEARCH donors and volunteers, for helping us meet these ongoing needs.
If you would like to receive our FANS Newletter, please send
an email to info@searchproject.org or call 713-739-7752.
©2005-2007 SEARCH All Rights Reserved.
SEARCH Homeless Center is a proud member of the United Way.