Carmichael HART Minutes, March 23, 2017
— Meeting began at 6:10 p.m. with opening prayer by Clark McKinley, ATLAS of Carmichael
— Sign-ins
— February minutes
— Introductions
Formation of Carmichael HART Executive Committee: Scott Young said 501c3 incorporation as a nonprofit will require a Board, initially an Executive Committee, to oversee administration, including managing donations and payments. Committee members: Scott Young, Ken Bennett, Dan Sanders, Barbara Farley, Keith Johnson, Clark McKinley
— The committee met following the HART meeting to decide on officers: Chair, Scott Young; Treasurer, Keith Johnson; Secretary, Clark McKinley
— Regular committee meetings are scheduled at 8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, beginning April 3, at Christ Community Church, following meetings of the Youth Initiative and Housing committees
Comments by Howard Schmidt, Chief of Staff for Supervisor Susan Peters:
He expressed appreciation for the opportunity to visit Carmichael HART. He commented on action by the county supervisors on March 21 on proposals to serve the homeless with Housing Authority resources, performance partnership pilots for disconnected youth, grants of housing choice vouchers, and arrangements for an additional veterans’ vouchers.
— See Board of Supervisors’ Agenda Item 52: (http://www.agendanet.saccounty.net/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=12020&doctype=)
— Scott Young said HART has a common purpose with the Board of Supervisors with a special concern to make sure that county resources reach Carmichael.
Richard Lehman and Website Prototype for Carmichael HART: He presented a prototype that could help in the development of our website (See: http://friendbt.x10host.com). Feedback:
— Comments were positive about the prototype site’s putting a face on homelessness with personal stories; its usefulness mainly as a community engagement platform by detailing the specific needs of individuals and projects; the possible development of a database for such people with some background showing their connection to Carmichael (schools attended, etc.).
— Suggestions for a “Carmichael HART” heading on the site with readily available information about the organization’s identity and mission, possibly linked to Facebook for interactions related to people, their needs, and how HART is addressing them
— Individual sponsorships of needy individuals are problematic (privacy issues), although an interactive component might be useful (“The stories are great. Want to help? Contact Carmichael HART.”).
— Carmichael HART’s website can be linked to those of other HARTs, all with common features but distinctive differences.
— Importance of keeping the site simple and user-friendly (no flashing lights) to augment rather than supplant messaging on other media, such as the Carmichael Times
— Lehman, an experienced website developer, said of his helpful volunteer work: “It’s a prototype that could be adapted as a community engagement platform for Carmichael HART.” He said it would be easy to insert context, information about meetings, etc.
— Scott Young said, “This is a first step. We’ll discuss it more and go on to Step 2.”
Letter and Donation from Supervisor Don Nottoli: Scott Young said Nottoli made a personal donation in appreciation of Carmichael HART’s help with a needy constituent (loading, transporting, unloading four pickup truckloads in a residential move). While such help was outside HART’s mission, Scott said the work nevertheless showed that “we’re all in this together, not just government or law enforcement but this takes all of us. We’re also building relationships (he mentioned exchanges with Nottoli and Supervisors Frost and Peters).”
Citrus Heights Winter Sanctuary: Deacon Fred Green of Christ Community Church described the seven-week program as “a labor of love” which successfully involved Carmichael churches that pitched in to help Citrus Heights HART.
— Each site had its own challenges, with hundreds of volunteers pitching in.
— He said it was important to serve guests “from the heart.”
— He said changes are likely when Carmichael HART operates its own program, including:
* Flexible wake-up times, depending on the needs of the host church
* Earlier, more consistent “lights out” practice
* Having a volunteer ride on intake bus to the site for better monitoring
— Follow-up: Christ Community Church committed to a “homeless outreach” on the third Saturday of every month, beginning April 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., to offer clean clothes, a hot meal, possibly haircuts, showers; dental, medical, vision checkups – and give volunteers an opportunity to serve
— The rationale is to continue relationships, Fred said.
— Some sanctuary guests are no longer homeless, including a man and mother who are off the street. They have housing and transportation thanks to generous HART volunteers, and a promising new job.
Citrus Heights Veterans Stand Down: Deacon Larry Niekamp of St. John the Evangelist Church distributed flyers about an annual one-day event for all veterans at Holy Family Church in Citrus Heights (their second year), scheduled for Tuesday, April 18.
— Program 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including breakfast, lunch and snacks, 7817 Old Auburn Road, Citrus Heights
— VA referrals, medical referrals, pet services, clothing & personal supplies, job counseling, haircuts, CalVet Benefit referrals, legal aid, DMV assistance, among other services. (To pre-register, call Dick at 916-342-3955 or email RTBart@comcast.net)
— See the website: http://www.citrusheightshart.org/events/ to sign up as a volunteer.
Winter Sanctuary Intake Center at Carmichael Presbyterian Church: Barbara Farley said operating the center for the Greater Sacramento Winter Sanctuary was “a valuable experience going into the new year for Carmichael HART.” She expressed appreciation for good support from nonprofit staff people, Carmichael HART volunteers and Scott Young of ATLAS, among others.
Carmichael HART Bank Account/Brochure: Scott Young said Carmichael HART can receive donations (checks written to Carmichael HART) for its recently established account. He said St. John the Evangelist Church made a generous contribution. Additionally, he said that a prototype of a Carmichael HART brochure is in the works and should be ready for feedback at the April meeting.
COMMITTEE REPORTS: Scott Young said all committees are open to all HART attendees.
Advocacy Committee: Justin Giachino represented HART at the County Supervisors meeting March 21. He said Supervisors Nottoli, Peters and Frost mentioned Carmichael HART. Other committee items:
— The committee is holding off on advocating for a Carmichael navigator to connect with homeless people (Scott Young said HART, meanwhile, is working with the Carmichael Improvement District – a PBID derivative – about the CID’s possible funding of a navigator. He said Keith DeVries, Linda Melody and Gary Hursh – HART members/attendees – also are on the CID Board. “They see Carmichael HART as a partner in the community,” Scott said.)
— The Sacramento Association of Realtors is open to HART-related grant proposals.
— Next committee meeting: 2 p.m. April 13, at the old Chamber of Commerce Building, 6825 Fair Oaks Blvd., Suite 100
Housing Committee: Keith Johnson said the committee has begun work on a shared housing concept that entails lower barriers and costs than homeless housing alternatives. He also said:
— There’s a need to post HART success stories on the website.
— Sacramento Self Help Housing is developing a plan to present to landlords.
— A Carmichael HART member has offered use of a building that could be the first shared housing venture (each resident would pay roughly $450 per month).
— Carmichael HART members will find “word of mouth” the best opportunity for finding shared housing opportunities.
— Ben Tiner, a major Carmichael realtor, has expressed willingness to place an article about homeless housing in his newsletter to 1,200 landlords.
— Next committee meeting: Monday, April 3, 6:30 p.m. in Room M-3 at Christ Community Church
Youth Committee: Stephen Young reported that the committee is:
— Developing a narrative to use in grant proposals
— Exploring a “Hub” program one day a week offering families with children community resources with job, housing, life skills counseling; food; clothing – a single hub where families could go
— Meeting with administrators of colleges that have homeless students, including a case manager at Sacramento State, staff at American River College
— Staying focused on families with children who are out of public view
— Next committee meeting: 5 p.m., Monday, April 3, in Room M-3 at Christ Community Church
Next Meeting – Thursday, April 20, 6 p.m., at Christ Community Church (Room M-1 or M-2)
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.