Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "stjohnsshelter"

4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College

2011-05-16T21:19:36Z

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers.

Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events are one-day, one-stop, 100% free resource fairs that bring a myriad of services all to one location, thus eliminating many of the barriers homeless folks face in accessing the services they need. Transportation is provided for guests that day (a major barrier for many homeless people), as well as pet care and childcare. Homeless folks get to meet with providers face-to-face, in a warm, hospitable environment. Additionally, the Salvation Army provides BBQ chicken meals for the guests, and bands Guitar Mac and BluSoul Band will be providing all-day entertainment.

500 community volunteers will be donating their time that day, helping with a number of different projects.

This year, over 60 different agencies and service providers will be in attendance, including:

Community housing and shelter providers, including: Sacramento Self-Help Housing; Volunteers of America; Transitional Living & Community Support; Lutheran Social Services, Resources for Independent Living; St. John’s Shelter and Sacramento Area Emergency Housing
Health Services including: the UC Davis Willow Clinic rapid HIV-testing by CARES, Hep-C, STI testing and harm reduction services by Harm Reduction Services and Oak Park Outreach Services; dental screenings by Dr. Charles Newens, and ocular exams by the Lion’s Club Vision Van and UC Davis eye doctors
Free California State IDs provided by the DMV, with help from Francis House
An Employment Triage Station, run by Women’s Empowerment, with an interview-ready clothing closet and help with resume-writing and interview skills
A new Wellness Area, including: free yoga all day, by the Yoga Seed Collective, 20-minute mini-chair massages by the Healing Arts Institute, foot washing & clean socks by Christ Church, Davis, an art therapy station (staffed by AmeriCorps NCCC members) and a Story Table (with professional portraits by Lynette Falls of Three One Photography)
A Mental Health services station, staffed by Guest House Homeless Clinic, Genesis, Social Security Administration, SMART (a brand-new pilot program that helps folks receive SSI), and Clean & Sober
Veterans Services, staffed by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center, the Sacramento Veterans Support Network, the Sacramento County Veterans
Sacramento County General Assistance and CalFresh (Food Stamps)
Bike repair provided by Cycles4Hope, who is also raffling off 10 adult bikes
Free haircuts by Federico’s Beauty Institute Salon
And amazing giveaways, including: The Sacramento Public Library is giving away 200 free books; the Bra Recyclers donated 1,300 bras; Restoring Vision provided us with 300 pairs of reading glasses; a Sac State student is giving away 150 pairs of shoes; 2 clothing closets and exit gift bags for each guest.
Other elements: free transportation all day provided by Regional Transit, Paratransit, Volunteers of America and Sacramento County. Free all day pet-care provided by WOOFF and free childcare provided by the Mustard Seed School!

The Salvation Army is our presenting sponsor, for the 2nd year in a row, and they’re providing at least $20,000 of in-kind support.

Additional sponsors: The City of Rancho Cordova, Wells Fargo Bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region, Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency, Loaves & Fishes, Sacramento Mutual Housing Association, Councilmember Steve Cohn, The Merchants National Bank, CARES, UC Davis Health System, Sacramento Housing Alliance and Councilmember Jay Schenirer.

Last year's Sacramento Homeless Connect had over 800 homeless adults and 170 homeless children in attendance.

For questions about the event, please contact Kate Towson, ktowson@communitycouncil.org

Kate Towson is an Americorps VISTA serving with Sacramento Steps Forward.

Diva Eve Clothing Swap

2010-06-19T01:17:51Z

Around 80 women shuffled into the California Museum Thursday night with overflowing bags in tow. The baggage wasn't credited to a long day of shopping, but rather the beginning of a long night of swapping.

The Diva Eve Clothing Swap was a eco-friendly evening of fashion, beauty and philanthropy, benefiting St. John's Shelter for Women and Children.

Seventeen years ago, Clothing Swap founder Suzanne Agasi invited three close friends over for a wardrobe exchange experiment. Guests cleaned out their closets and poured their belongings into Agasi's Walnut Creek studio apartment. The evening was informal and intimate as the women picked through each other's clothing and donated the leftovers to charity. Little to Agasi's knowing, her small gathering would turn into a national trend.

"The idea just grew," Agasi said. "I kept having these clothing swaps and more and more women came."

Agasi, dressed in a black floor-length gown she discovered at a swap, welcomed all attendees as they entered the pre-swap reception. Available at the front door were "Nostalgic Notes," small tags to place on special items as women prepared to part with their once worn belongings.

"They are little notes to say something special about each piece," Agasi said. "If you bought it in Paris or if you wore it to a wedding, you can tell the next owner why the piece is special to you. And the next owner will have a new respect for it."

Agasi is currently in the midst of the Swap America Tour where she is on the road swapping in Denver, San Fransisco, Sacramento, New York and Los Angeles. Thursday's event was her 221st swap.

Being in the business for over a decade and a half, Agasi said that swapping has grown immensely since the rise of the environmentalism. Now women are more apt to reuse and recycle clothing.

"I was doing this before green was popular," Agasi laughed. "It's eco-chic."

During the reception, volunteers rapidly sorted clothing in the museum's courtyard. While waiting for the big event, attendees were able to get their hair styled, browse the museum and enjoy beverages and snacks.

One beauty treatment available was the "It Works" body applicator which detoxifies the body. Breata Simpson was there representing the business, but also came as a veteran swapper.

"The best feeling is seeing someone else wear your clothes and see how much it's appreciated," Simpson said.

After a brief speech by organizers, the swap began. Women scurried into the courtyard and the fashion frenzy ensued. Several makeshift changing rooms were set up for women to try on clothes. There was no limit as to how many items one could walk away with, but the women were advised to only take items they would absolutely wear.

As the crowd died down, many pieces were still left to donate to St. John's Shelter. Rachele Burton of St. John's commented on the success of the night.

"We are so thankful for this event," Burton said. "We focus on getting our women back into the workforce, and professional clothing is a necessity."

Burton also said that the shelter is always in need of volunteers and donations, particularly diaper donations. For more information, visit stjohnsshelter.org.

As Agasi travels the country hosting more swaps, she plans on creating a formula so that every woman can throw their own clothing exchange party at home.

"I've done this so many time and have made so many mistakes. I'm the ultimate resource," she said.

Within the next two years, Agasi hopes to update her website with tips on how to throw your own clothing swap.

For more information, visit clothingswap.com.

Photos:

1. Swappers in action

2. Shoes

3. Agasi addressing the crowd

4. Volunteers Maya and Chris

5. Breata Simpson

6. Volunteer sorting clothes

7. Rachele Burton of St. John's Shelter

8. Kat Pran and Ammy Chang

9. Mary Bennett and Addy Cassero

10. During the swap

Bosom Buddy Program Supports Women

2010-05-08T04:40:59Z

The Bosom Buddy Bra Recyclers are giving bras a second home.

Founded in October 2008, the organization collects used bras from women around the world to donate to homeless shelters and transition houses. If the bras can't be used, they're recycled and given a new life in a different form.

The idea for the project came when Elaine Birks-Mitchell was talking to a friend who worked at a shelter. As they talked about what the women needed, the subject of bras came up. "They never get enough," Birks-Mitchell said. "People don't think to donate bras."

Birks-Mitchell said the response to Bosom Buddy has been unbelievable. The project has received 20,000 bras in the first quarter of 2010 alone. Combined with last year's donations, the total is more than 40,000. While women are encouraged to mail in donations, there are 17 drop-off locations, most are in the organization's home state of Arizona, with one in Dallas, and another in Sacramento.

"For some reason, us women, we don't like to throw anything away," Birks-Mitchell joked. Many donors have found the recyclers on the Web, dug through their closets, and found one or two bras that just don't fit right. Some still have tags on them. And donations have come from as far away as Hong Kong.

Connis Kimball, co-owner of At Last Bra and Lingerie, the local drop-off location, said she decided to work with the program after hearing about it on television. "We had customers coming in that would purchase bras who didn't want their old ones," she said. "We wanted to find something that we could do with the bras other than throw them away." The shop, at 2639 Town and Country Place, has received well over 1,000 bras. "We enjoy working with Bosom Buddies; we all have the same goals," Kimball said.

The recycled bras used to be sent to shelters in a big box, but most shelters couldn't use all of them, and the boxes were taking up precious room. Now, Bosom Buddy will send each shelter a kit that includes a special measuring tape and instructions on how to use it. Each woman can measure herself to get the perfect fit. While all sizes are gratefully accepted, Birks-Mitchell said the biggest need is for sizes 38 and up.

Local shelters also are in need. "Rather than sending everything out of state when we have shelters here, we send some to local shelters," Kimball said. The shop works with St. John's shelter for women and children in Sacramento, and Heather House, a permanent homeless shelter in Fairfield.

Besides recycling lacy underthings, Birks-Mitchell is interested in increasing awareness of domestic violence. Many battered women flee their violent environment quickly, often forgetting to pack bras. Kimball has worked closely with the transitional houses that help them.

"It doesn't matter what your socioeconomic background is, it can happen to anyone," she said of domestic violence. "It's OK to talk about."

Bosom Buddy has done events with the Girl Scouts, and put on "The Bra-Vogue Contest and Fashion Show," in which contestants decorate a bra.

The bra recyclers teamed up recently with Operation Petticoat, a campaign to send bras to women and girls in Kenya. Birks-Mitchell said the lingerie we take for granted here is badly needed there. Most females in Kenya can't afford bras, and without them, it's difficult for girls to participate in activities such as sports.

Birks-Mitchell said she hopes to form a partnership with bra manufacturers. Most retailers and manufacturers throw away defective or unsold bras. Bosom Buddy wants to convince those companies that recycling is the way to go, she said. "It's a neat way for companies to do outreach and do something different."

Images:

1. Logo for the Bra Recyclers

2 & 3. Decorated bras from "The Bra-Vogue Contest and Fashion Show"

4. At Last Bra and Lingerie

Images 1, 2 & 3 courtesy of Elaine Birks-Mitchell

Image 4 courtesy of At Last Bra and Lingerie

Sacramento Steps Forward initiative announced

2009-11-06T04:36:58Z

Thursday morning, journalist Lisa Ling, members of the City Council and the homeless and formerly-homeless community joined Mayor Kevin Johnson in launching the "Sacramento Steps Forward" initiative. A crowd of several hundred waved blue initiative flags and cheered as Johnson announced his goal "to end homelessness and focus on permanent housing."

He applauded permanent housing shelters such as Mercy Housing, Turning Point and Martin Luther King Jr. Village, 3900 47th Avenue, where the launch was held.

Johnson said the goal of Sacramento Steps Forward is to provide 2,400 "decent and affordable" permanent housing units over the next three years. That would nearly quadruple the amount of permanent housing units created in the city over the last two years.

The mayor asked the Sacramento residents to advocate for the homeless, educate others about services needed to end homelessness, and to help find public, corporate and nonprofit funding.

"The homeless do not need a handout, they need a hand up," Johnson said. "They want to be empowered."

Johnson is chairman of a multiagency task force, part of the Policy Board to End Homelessness, that found funding for 269 winter shelter beds last month. This came despite an 84 percent cut in county funding for homelessness and the elimination of funding for winter shelters in September.

Tim Brown, director of the Sacramento Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative, said last week that federal stimulus money will house 150 people who are now in shelters, freeing up 150 shelter beds over the next few months.

With an expected 419 beds, the city and county intend to provide 151 more beds this year than last year's 268 beds. According to the 2009 Homeless Count Summary Report, there are about 2,800 homeless people in Sacramento, including 711 in emergency shelters, 895 in transitional housing and 1,194 who have no shelter.

After Johnson thanked Brown, Sister Libby Fernandez and Joan Burke, both of of Loaves and Fishes, he introduced Sacramento-native Ling, the host of National Geographic Explorer. Earlier this year, as a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, she reported on Sacramento's "tent city," which brought other media outlets to the site.

"Your mayor, so many members of the homeless advocacy community, members of the city and county rose to the occasion and decided to tackle (homelessness) head on," Ling said. "I'm so proud of the way so many members of this community have come together (and) if Sacramento is successful (housing the homeless), it could be a model for the rest of the country."

County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, St. John's Shelter director, Michelle Steeb, and City Council member Rob Fong also spoke. Fong explained the Faith and Families initiative that he helped create.

"We're asking the faith communities to see if they would be willing through their congregation to make a commitment for one year to help house a homeless family," he said. "In the last year we've housed 10 homeless families (and) we're hoping to get a dozen more housed before the holidays."

Three formerly homeless people spoke about their experiences. They credited programs such as Serna Village, St. John's Shelter and Lutheran Social Services with changing their lives and giving them hope.

"It was absolutely marvelous," Fernandez of Loaves and Fishes said about the city's effort. "In one year, this mayor has talked more about the issue of homelessness than any mayor ever has. He spends time with the homeless, policymakers and advocates."

Although she applauded the push for transitional and permanent housing, she noted the nine-month waiting period to get into Quinn Cottages, a transitional housing shelter. This means that homeless need somewhere to go in the meantime, Fernandez said.

"It takes too long for the next step. (Creating a) 'safe ground' is just an added piece to get to the final goal, which is permanent housing."

Gone fishin'

2009-08-04T21:10:45Z

A recent fishing derby pulled in a truckload of clothes and cash for St. John's Shelter for Women and Children in Sacramento.

The sixth annual Gone Fishin' Derby held recently at Granite Regional Park had folks of all ages showing up with their fishing gear in hand.

"Approximately 250 kids and 100 adults attended the event," says Tammy T. Nguyen, Community Relations Coordinator for The Hoyt Company. "We gave away almost $2,000 worth of fishing equipment, not including the gift baskets we received from SunSweet, a trip to Donner Lake, and the gift certificates from Squeeze Inn."

Derby co-sponsors were HDR|The Hoyt Company, BLT Enterprises,Power Inn Alliance, Granite Park Partners, Jackson Properties, Inc.,Teichert / Stonebridge Properties, LLC and Walmart.

Seven-year-old Joshua Hang caught the first, and largest, catfish weighing in at a little over six pounds.

Photos | Kati Garner and Tammy Nguyen (Joshua Hang holding fish)