by VVHC | Jun 14, 2022 | VVHC In The News
Board President Carol Quasula announced today a volunteer outreach program to locate and find individuals to help meet the needs of the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition.
Quasula said “Understandably, the pandemic decimated the number of volunteer hours we were seeing at the Center and just when we started recovering from Covid, we find, like employers and non-profits everywhere, folks just aren’t calling. Volunteering at the Center is a rewarding experience, and the only requirement is a desire and ability to work with the homeless.”
The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition is looking for people who can volunteer one afternoon or evening per week and training is provided.
For more information please call Carol at 928-300-3547.
by VVHC | Jun 14, 2022 | VVHC Latest News
Hello Everyone,
Happy beginning of the 2nd half of the year! I hope everyone had a great May. This email is going to be a little short since we have a lot going on here right now.
We had a mini swap meet at the Center this month! Manzanita Outreach came in and removed some space devouring shelving and gave us a freezer! They needed the shelves, and we needed the freezer! That’s community coordination!
As some of you know, we lost a couple of employees recently. The job market is like nothing I’ve ever seen before! We’ve got ads out and I am always available for interviews. I have found someone to be here 4 evenings a week and another person to work 3-4 daytime short shifts so that we can be open on the weekends and I have a little help if I have meetings. We love our volunteers and plan to bring more on board as soon as possible.
We are still seeing a steady stream of new faces. We see our regular folks but oddly enough, many of them are choosing not to stay in the shelter at night. Perhaps comfortable nighttime temperatures, a rare eclipse of the moon and a star shower are more enticing than a night at the Center! I have received 3 calls in the past week from people from the valley that have been asked to relocate for work but with no housing available, they want to come stay at the shelter.
We received a $4,000 grant from Arizona Community Foundation, Yavapai. Thank you!!!
This is a short report, but the Center is opening shortly, and I am the “shelter lady” today.
Rhonda Bishop,
Executive Director
by VVHC | May 12, 2022 | VVHC In The News
Why are dogs so important for the homeless? They provide companionship, safety, consistency and support mental and emotional health. Well behaved dogs are always welcome at the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition! Donated pet food is available so even Fido needn’t go hungry.
by VVHC | May 7, 2022 | VVHC In The News
On Saturday, May 7th, students from Mingus Union High School, along with their teacher, Marie La France, visited the Homeless Center as part of their Digital/Media Film class. The students are creating a video about the Center, telling the story of the origins, current operations and future plans of the organization and will receive CTE credits for their efforts. Included in the video are interviews with Board members, the Center Director, community police officers and individuals who have used Center resources. The film will premiere at the Coalition Fundraiser “Great Things” on October 8, 2022.
by VVHC | May 5, 2022 | VVHC Latest News
At the Center
How quickly time passes! Of course it was a pretty busy month so that makes the days go by in a flash. We had another record-breaking month, 20 new people used the center for the first time in April. We saw 466 in the daytime and 562 joined us overnight. I’ve also become increasingly aware of the lack of affordable housing for seniors. A homeless shelter should never be the only option for a senior citizen but there are not many options.
We’ll be changing our hours soon. The Center has always opened at 6 pm and closed at 8 am. When it’s cold, that’s fine but with warmer temperatures and in the interest of making our ESG monies last a little longer we will be changing overnight hours from 7 pm to 7 am.
All our employees have successfully registered for fingerprint cards, three still need to get their fingerprints taken but the process has been started. This is a very hard job to come to every day! Verbal gratitude to staff and volunteers is incredibly important so I encourage positive feedback on a regular basis.
Chamber Mixer
Our chamber mixer /open house/ ribbon cutting was a great success! We handed out little flyers detailing our immediate and ongoing needs. It was surprising to see how many miles those flyers went! Several people, not at the mixer, arrived with donations based on our updated list. Such kind gestures continue to surprise and amaze me.
During our mixer, we met a fellow who worked for many years in the Utah prison system where he started a speech program training people to motivate others by using examples from their own experiences. He would like to try something similar here and of course anything that can improve people’s lives is something we wholeheartedly support.
Rollins House-Transitional Housing
We’ve finished editing our Procedure and Policy Manual and lease agreement for tenants in Rollins House. We hope people will start moving in by mid-month.
Around Town
Board President Carol Quasuala and I went to the grand opening of Hope House in Sedona. Hope House is a transitional living home for families. They can house up to 3 families and I am so supportive of their endeavors! We will meet again soon to discuss how we can support each other and we’ll get to explain how our transitional housing will operate.
Rhonda Bishop
Executive Director
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