From Ice Cream to Inmates: Opening Doors!

Exciting times in the Silver Lake area of Providence!!

A morning gander at the Projo has left my insides craving ice cream...and reintegration alike.

Aside:

This surprising craving arrives, coincidentally, after a late night cruise down Broad Street just last evening...in search of cheap McDonald's cones with my dear friends Lizzie and Mark. Disturbingly the convenient Broad Street location claimed to be sans ice cream. Yet our persistent desire for the delicious-yet-faux creme glacee confection carried us to North Main Street...where cones apparently cost 60 more cents a unit (interesting tidbit for all you penny pinchers).

Back to my first thought:

Shortly following the opening of an exciting new volunteer-powered community center in S.L. (Scalabrini Dukcevich Center), OpenDoors (formerly Family Life Center) announced plans to turn an an old ice cream factory into supportive housing for the formerly incarcerated! Wooohooo! Inmates are overlooked and often uncared for by most of society. Scorned for past indiscretions...sometimes undeserving of the full punishment dispersed...these members of the human race deserve a chance to succeed once again.

Look at offenders serving mandatory minimums for drug crimes and how aggrandizing dollars have found a home behind bars since the institution of such practice in 1988.

The 2003 RIDOC Annual Report demonstrates that since that date RI has opened three new facilities, expanded current prisons, and doubled expenditures - from $52 mil in '88 to a whopping $130 mil in 2003. Inflation? Hmmmm...perhaps not.

In a policy brief by the Family Life center (H7075/S2172), I found info from a 1997 study by the RAND corporation that reports "discretionary sentencing, conventional enforcement and drug treatment are all more effective, per dollar spent, at reducing both drug consumption and drug related crime."

How about re-routing funding to other services outside the slammer?

A wise Mr. Lewis once wrote,

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours."

Our systems and our laws will fade and morph with time, but the indelible mark we leave on each other's existence is irreversible.

I admittedly say I worry about the dangers of working with a client who has spent 40 years in prison on murder charges. However, it is hope in the human race and an open disgust for the misanthropic that propels me to believe redemption is possible.

Dear Blogosphere: Ahhhh (breathing fresh summer humidity), it's nice to be back.

Still here...

I realize that some time has passed since I last posted any words on this blog of mine. So here I am, waving hello in the middle of March. Proyecto Esperanza has not disappeared in a blackhole during the past few chilly months. Like a fierce warrior, our undying hope for the people of Blackstone Valley has stood unyielding against the cold, wind, rain, and despair. Our door opens and closes frequently throughout the day and papers fly about, signs that most visitors are receiving a little help when they need it most.

Not always so picture perfect...

I'm looking out my window here in the office, watching the the snow fall down as Pawtucket dwellers navigate the street. A mother pushes her baby daughter in a stroller, her three year old son running by her side. A man wearing a double layer of sweatshirts walks by carrying his plastic bags from Family Dollar. His hoods are up as he hunkers down against the cold. I wonder where these passersby are traveling. Is there a warm destination just a few blocks down Broadway?

I watch as white flakes begin to collect on the neighboring rooftops. Sure looks cozy. My eyes wander over to the chimney of one home to look for smoke, perfect addition to the cozy image. I find the chimney smokeless, however. This little flaw in a picture perfect moment stirs me from the daydream. I take a look down at my desk, and dive back into the pile of heating assistance applications. The phone's been ringing off the hook with requests today. When I'm on a call, more messages go to voicemail.

The picture perfect home is not that common these days. The people of Rhode Island are barely living paycheck to paycheck. Empty oil tanks and five day notices are becoming a new reality. Even the folks lucky enough to have a job are barely keeping up with mounting expenses.

We're trying to do what we can here to provide some relief, one person at a time. The bishop's Keep the Heat on Fund helps individuals and families all over the state stay warm during the bitter winter months. Click here to read about how we helped an elderly woman and her disabled son keep oil in their tank this season.

Hope for Recovery

Today's Valley Breeze highlighted Project Hope's new substance abuse recovery coach program.
Click to read.

Tis free and open to anyone in need of support!

Oh SNAP!

Easy to swipe. Looks like every other bank card. No one knows. The EBT card - a stigma free way to fill an empty pantry when purses are bare.

Photo Cred: RI Food Stamp Outreach Project

Soaring unemployment rates in RI and beyond have made the federal government's food stamp program a increasingly popular resource. As an easily accessible benefit involving limited hoop-jumping, SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) is often the one saving grace that struggling families and individuals can rely on. A large number of the clients I talk to everyday are jobless and receive no income from the state - their extended benefits have expired, SSI is still in application, or they're still stumbling through paperwork and bureaucratic potholes. However, when asked if they receive food stamps, most of these individuals do answer a resounding and sigh-filled YES. The average RI household receives $216 a month.

In 2009, Rhode Island SNAP recipients increased by 31%. One in 10 households now use food stamps to help towards groceries. (Thanks to RI Community Food Bank for these STATS) A large part of this has to do with increasing need of course, but also with increased outreach. The SNAP Outreach Project out of URI creatively infiltrates communities around the state, even sending reps to the farmer's markets. This past fall I paid for a weekly farmer's basket from the Armory market with my EBT benefit. The tastiest/freshest/ local produce exploded out of my fridge all season - thanks SNAP.

Nutrition Assistance is available to anyone who meets eligibility requirements. SNAP offers a continuous funding stream, sending more and more people to the grocery market every day it operates. As more Americans trickle through the produce section and peruse the bread aisle, more and more Americans are employed to replace the empty loaf shelves and vegetable coolers. As more Americans hit the registers, more dollars float into the economic wind-stream. SNAP takes on a cyclical role with these cause-effect scenarios. The program proves to be more than a bottomless cup of joe...it's a brilliant social creation that carries potential to provide our economy just the caffeinated jump-start it requires.

An interesting story recently appeared in the NY Times re: SNAP. Definitely worth a read. Check it out. Thanks to Mary for sharing!

Giving Thanks

I was sitting on a stoop this past August with some friends, and a older man sauntered by. He toted a frayed duffel bag holding all his possessions. Nestled on top rested a 40 of beer wrapped in a paper bag. I'll call him T. We sang some Al Green tunes together, and he told us he slept in the car lot around the corner. T was a cheery, kind man. Unfortunately, most people would quicken their pace to walk by him. Try to get away. Avert their eyes.

During this season of gratitude, I want to give thanks for T. He reminded me that there are victims of "chronic" homelessness that most would deem lost causes. I believe T would fit into this category. I'm thankful for the fleeting moment we shared, that I could glimpse his humanity and remember not to give up. T's been on the street for years, most likely as a result of poor decisions and some un-asked-for circumstances. That's the past, he's developed his own status quo, but there is still hope for him. I'm not giving up. As Al green sings, "Everything's gunna be all right." I will never deny the idealist feelings that bubble below my epidermis, and I encourage you to search for similar sentiments dwelling within your person.

In the spirit of thanksgiving for T, I'd like to share some words I scratched out this year. A little holiday thank you note if you will, read to my family before the food disappeared.


here we are, family
each with our spot
plates brimming with harvest's best

here we are, family
each with our hearts
full of love, making pain seem small

here we are, family
each giving thanks
that we have each other

we have our mothers
we have our fathers
we have memories of moments gone by
cherished, remembered forever

we have our brothers
we have our sisters
we have memories of moments gone by
cherished, remembered forever

we have our daughters
we have our sons
we have memories of moments gone by
cherished, remembered forever

we have our aunts, uncles
we have our grams, grampies
we have memories of moments gone by
cherished, remembered forever

we have Haley
a true gift of thanks
we have memories of moments gone by
cherished, remembered forever

how lucky we are
to have each other
to have reason for thanks

today we remember the ones whose tummy's are empty
the ones society has forgotten to care for
the older man who spent last night in a car lot
and now clutches his paper bag, the only friend he thinks he has

we remember the young mother and her little boy
who spend tonight in a shelter
and smile, because yes, they have each other

most of all, we remember the ones who've forgotten
forgotten that there are things to be thankful for

i'm thankful for each one of you
our times together may be few
but they remind us that our family
is built on love and undying commitment
undying faith in one another

so as we eat this meal,
let us be thankful when
matt cracks his usual hilarious joke
let us be thankful
when gram's still moving food with her fork...two hours later
let us be thankful
when we all topple on the couch, typical tryptophan victims

let us be thankful
and finally, let us eat!

Ideas for Social Change

Americorps VISTA Gathering. 11.03.09.

Thoughts on critical issues facing Rhode Island and how we can be change-makers.