Homeless Issues #86

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The Nomadic Shelter season is to begin Sunday, November 1
There are opportunities for everyone to take part in some way. We need volunteer help at all of our locations. A 3 hour shift in an evening, fit to your schedule, and in your area is all that is asked. Cold Springs CC in Cold Springs; Federated Church in Placerville; Solid Rock Foundation in Diamond Springs; Foothills UMC in Cameron Park; Green Valley CC on Missouri Flats Rd. all can use your help and award you with the knowledge that you have participated in caring for God’s children who have no place to rest their heads.  Call the church nearest to you, or contact Carole Smith ,., 530-644-6018 … mcs4850@att.net … Or contact Pastor Frank Gates … 530-409-3940 … Or e-mail me …JobsShelterOrg@gamil.com … I’ll connect you.

We want to welcome Holy Trinity Catholic Church into our Nomadic Shelter circle by way of working with Foothills UMC in the Cameron Park area. Holy Trinity is a long time supporter and participant in the Upper Room, SHARE Food Closet and other community-oriented organizations, as well as the clothing distribution at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Placerville and other community oriented projects. They are expanding their service by participating with Job’s Shelters of the Sierra (JSS) in serving the homeless population in El Dorado County.

The Department of Housing & Urban Development [HUD]
The Department of Housing & Urban Development [HUD] just released their notice of $1.9 billion in funding available nationally to the homeless service providers [called Continuum of Cares or CoC]  Apply by November 20, 2015.  Each CoC must submit a detailed application explaining the homeless services they provide and receive points based on their application.  Based on the points they receive for each answer, they are either awarded funding or they are declined.  It is a highly competitive process and even a loss of a half point can mean the difference between being funded or not.  This year HUD included a question worth 2 points regarding “how the community is preventing the criminalization of homeless people as well as furthering fair housing” means that a community potentially could lose federal funding for their homeless programs if they continue to enforce anti-homeless ordinances, including anti-camping ordinances.  The HUD development comes in the wake of the federal Department of Justice [DOJ] issuing a statement of interest in a lawsuit brought by homeless people in Boise, Idaho challenging the constitutionality of the Boise anti-camping ordinance.  DOJ stated that “unless a community has enough housing, anti-camping ordinances violate the 8th amendment of the U.S. Constitution as cruel and unusual punishment and are misguided public policy.” 

Bob Erlenbusch
Executive Director
Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness

El Dorado County, CoC, is controlled by the “CAPITOL LETTER CITIZENS” that has little to no regard for the single “lower case citizens” of El Dorado County, and has contracted, about a year or more ago, with an organization/facilitator outside of El Dorado County. In the past each Supervisor had a representative at CoC meetings, and the CoC was “staffed” by volunteers (at no fee.) from Citizens of El Dorado County…………. The persons or group that pays the facilitator rules!

Ron Sachs

 
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son.” the man said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t possibly make a difference!” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”

“…it is important that we step outside ourselves and be ready for (an) encounter…An encounter with others. Why? Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.”   Pope Francis

 

Donate clothing and/or money to JSS to be distributed to our homeless population. Contact me, Ron Sachs, at ….JobsShelterOrg@Gmail.com …… I’ll come pick what you have to offer up.