The state of Alabama is awarding $2.65 million in grants to help fight homelessness, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Tuesday.
The money will assist government and nonprofit agencies in Alabama, Ivey said in a news release. The groups will help provide shelter, legal services, and health services for the homeless or at risk of being homeless.
The funds will come from the Emergency Solution Grant program which is made possible through grants from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
Ivey said helping the homeless or at risk of homeless is the right thing to do.
“Helping others in need is the Alabama way, and our folks’ unrelenting desire to do so is one of the many things that make our state so special,” she said. “Unfortunately, homelessness is a very real issue facing our communities, and it’s on us as Alabamians to change that.
“I’m proud to allocate these funds toward ensuring those less fortunate have a safe, warm shelter to spend the holidays.”
ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said he was pleased with the grant being awarded.
“I join Governor Kay Ivey in commending these local governments and other agencies who are providing that helping hand to individuals and families who are going through rough times,” he said.
The grants will go to:
City of Florence
$300,000 to contract with Safeplace Inc., the Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama and the Salvation Army to offer homelessness prevention assistance, rapid re-housing and related services to residents in Colbert, Franklin, Marion, Lauderdale, Lawrence and Winston counties.
City of Huntsville
$400,000 to contract with AshaKiran Inc., Catholic Center of Concern, Community Action Partnership of Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties Inc., Crisis Services of North Alabama, Disabled American Veterans, Family Services Center, First Stop, North Alabama Coalition for the Homeless, New Futures Inc. and Wellstone Inc. to provide services in Huntsville.
Marshall County Home Place Inc. (Guntersville)
$31,500 to provide emergency shelter in Marshall County.
The Right Place for Housing and Support (Anniston)
$200,000 to provide street outreach, emergency shelter and housing assistance for persons in Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb and Etowah counties.
Second Chance (Anniston)
$200,000 to provide emergency shelter and rapid re-housing for domestic violence victims and their families in Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Randolph and Talladega counties.
The Link of Cullman County (City of Cullman)
$250,000 to provide emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, street outreach and rapid re-housing for victims in Cullman County.
YWCA of Central Alabama
$200,000 to provide emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing for domestic violence victims in Blount, Jefferson and St. Clair counties.
Shelby County Commission
$150,148 to contract with Family Connections, SafeHouse of Shelby County Inc. and Shelby Emergency Assistance to provide emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing for residents in Shelby County.
Montgomery Area Coalition for the Homeless
$350,000 to contract with Family Promise of Montgomery, Montgomery Area Family Violence Program (also known as the Family Sunshine Center), Friendship Mission Inc. and Hands On River Region to provide street outreach, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing for persons in Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties.
San Inc. (Turning Point, Tuscaloosa)
$100,000 to provide emergency services and rapid re-housing for victims of domestic violence in Bibb, Fayette, Hale, Lamar, Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties.
The Salvation Army (Mobile and Baldwin Counties)
$300,000 to provide emergency shelter for people in those two counties.
Penelope House Inc. (Mobile)
$300,000 to provide emergency shelter for people in those two counties.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
She might be a little girl, but Dothan’s Kayla Glover has a big heart for a person of any age.
As reported by WSFA, Kayla, at first look, is your typical eight-year-old. The Alabama girl loves watching her favorite show, Spongebob Squarepants, and spends the weekend working on her multiplication skills.
However, her caring nature and generosity display a unique personality that transcends her years. (more…)
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The Rev. Al Sharpton’s half-brother faces a capital murder charge in Alabama, and he’s challenging that charge in court.
Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish said the Rev. Kenneth Glasgow drove 26-year-old Jamie Townes around to look for his stolen car before Townes allegedly shot 23-year-old Breunia Jennings, believing she was the thief. In Alabama, a person aiding or abetting a criminal act is equally liable.
(more…)
A nonprofit group Forever and Always Patriots plans to develop a tiny house community in Walker County aimed at helping homeless veterans. According to ABC 33/40, the group just purchased their first of 20 tiny homes that they hope to provide for veterans to live in at minimal cost.
Amanda Phillips, a local house flipper, is donating her talent to design the interior of the homes. She hopes the 560 square foot home will help a veteran transform his life.
Karla Albertus, a co-founder of the group, is grateful for the donations from people like Phillips. “It’s so exciting to see people who are as passionate about the veterans as I am.” Albertus says the homes will be available to veterans for as long as they need them. “We’ve contacted the Veterans Administration. They’ve committed to making us a remote location for the veterans to be able to come out.”
The village will focus on providing a good quality of life for the veterans. The community will be pet friendly and have space for planting gardens. “If the veteran has something to look forward to, be it tending his garden or tending his animal, whatever it is, he’s going to be better about himself and he’s going to feel like he’s important,” Albertus said. The community will also be dedicated to helping veterans learn trades and find jobs.
Forever and Always Patriots is still looking for a location for the project. They are also in the process of fundraising to be able to build more houses. The group is planning a car show fundraiser in Sumiton on Saturday, September 2 in front of the Vapors 4 You store on highway 78.
While many of us may be longing for the cooler temperatures of winter to escape the August heat, many in the Birmingham homeless community dread those frigid nights. However, Royal Cup Coffee hopes to ensure that the homeless can get a hot and nutritious meal at Boutwell Auditorium.
Every year at Birmingham’s Sloss Fest Music and Arts Festival, Royal Cup steals the show with its Cold Brew Cool-Off Zone. This year, according to Alabama News Center, the coffee company donated all $3,000 of its proceeds to a local charity that provides food to warming stations at Boutwell Auditorium. Heart to Table began when Silvertron Café owner Marco Morosini sought to find a solution to a problem Birmingham faced every winter. Boutwell Auditorium opens as a warming station on freezing nights for the homeless to seek shelter, however the city often has no money to provide them with food. Heart to Table began a community of restaurants that regularly provide food for the city’s warming stations.
According to the Director of Birmingham’s Office of Citizens Assistance, Don Lupo, Royal Cup’s donation will provide a meal for about 10 nights of people seeking shelter, or around 3,000 people. “That’s amazing,” Lupo said, “Royal Cup has this big, generous heart. They have always supported the community. We’re just thankful we’re on their list.”
Royal Cup has donated the funds from its Sloss Fest booth to local charities for three years now. C.J. Britton, director of Creative Services at Royal Cup Coffee in Birmingham told Alabama News Center:
“We may be a national company, but we have a passion for helping those in our backyard who need it most. With the recent revitalization downtown, it’s easy to forget people are going hungry. This is an easy, practical way we can help Heart to Table take care of those who don’t have the resources to take care of themselves.”
Lupo expressed his gratitude towards Royal Cup for their help in feeding Birmingham’s homeless community. “With this donation of $3,000, we know cold nights are taken care of this winter. No worries. No begging.”
Fewer Alabama veterans are without homes this holiday season, according to a new report released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to HUD, Alabama is home to 373 homeless veterans. It’s a number that has dropped sharply from 2014, when 542 of the state’s former servicemen were without homes.
The new report signals that Alabama is among states with the fewest homeless veterans in the country. California, Florida, and New York, and Texas experience the highest rates of veteran homelessness.
Overall, veteran homelessness across the nation has fallen. HUD’s report says that 17 percent fewer veterans are affected than the year before. Since 2009, that number has dropped by 46 percent.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than civilians.
“Veterans often experience difficulty returning to civilian life, particularly those without strong social support networks, and may not have skills that can be easily transferred to employment outside of the military,” the Alliance explains on their site. “Veterans face the same shortage of affordable housing options and living wage jobs as all Americans, and these factors—combined with the increased likelihood that veterans will exhibit symptoms of PTSD, substance abuse, or mental illness—can compound to put veterans at a greater risk of homelessness than the general population.”
Last year, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson was one local leader who accepted a Veterans Administration challenge to end homelessness in his town. In May last year, the city announced that it had achieved Functional Zero rating for homeless veterans in the area, thanks to a partnership with local charity Housing First. HUD confirmed the news in September of 2015.
Mobile was the first city of its size to effectively end veteran homelessness.
Famed college basketball coach John Wooden once told his players to “be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
“The true test of a man’s character,” he explained. “is what he does when no one is watching.”
If that’s the test, former Auburn standout and reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton is passing with flying colors.
Unbeknownst to Newton, two football fans captured a grainy cell phone photo of him giving food to a man holding a sign saying “Homeless Please help hungry — food.”
Newton was in Baltimore for the Panthers pre-season game against the Ravens and had just finished dinner at a local restaurant named Sullivan’s when he noticed the homeless man sitting by a bus stop. According to Candace Gregory, who was taking an after-dinner walk around the city’s Inner Harbor, Newton quietly gave an entire bag of food to the man without trying to attract attention.
“They were walking in a group and he slid over, gave the guy the bag and kept moving,” Gregory explained to ESPN. “It was a quick, smooth motion, like he was handing the ball off to a running back. He didn’t linger. He didn’t talk to the guy. You could tell he was trying to be discreet about it.
“People talk about him dabbing and all the stuff that in my mind ultimately should be irrelevant, because that doesn’t get to the heart of who he is,” she continued. “A lot of people were like, ‘Oh my God! That’s Cam Newton!’ The homeless guy had no idea who Cam was. He was just happy to have food.”
When Newton’s Panthers teammates were asked about his act of kindness, they weren’t surprised.
“It’s like second nature for him,” said Panthers backup quarterback Joe Webb. “It’s no surprise that he did it. A lot of people say, ‘What are you doing when people aren’t looking?’ It speaks volumes that he’s a great person.”
(h/t ESPN)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On the coldest night of the year, the “warming station” the City of Birmingham typically provides for the homeless was not available, leaving hundreds surprised and left to huddle together for warmth on the streets. The reason? Self-avowed socialist senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders needed to use the space for a campaign rally.
On particularly cold nights — like Monday when the temperature dipped into the 20s — about 300 homeless Alabamians sleep on cots and on the concrete floor inside Birmingham’s historic Boutwell Memorial Auditorium.
The Sanders campaign, however, wanted to use the building on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because of its association with the Civil Rights Movement, as part of their ongoing effort to court votes from the African-American community.
The homeless were caught by surprise, and many were dismayed when they realized that no alternate locations were being made available.
“We’ve never had a night like this where it will be in the teens and we weren’t able to open,” Don Lupo of the mayor’s office of citizen’s assistance told Alabama sports website and liberal political blog al.com.
“Unfortunately, no, we do not have an alternative location and were unable to have the warming station tonight,” added Birmingham city spokeswoman April Odom. “However, we are working with local area homeless shelters and the BPD to help anyone in need to get to a shelter.”
On a night when Sanders pushed for free college, free healthcare and free housing for the poor, one of the few “free” things Alabama’s least fortunate have made available to them — a place to survive the night when temperatures plummet — was taken from them for political purposes.
Meanwhile inside the building, temperatures were so high that at least one Sanders supporter passed out, prompting the senator to take an extended break from speaking while paramedics came in to help.
“Which brings me to the issue of health care,” he joked.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Since 1944 the Downtown Jimmie Hale Mission, Inc., more commonly known as The Jimmie Hale Mission, has been a multi-faceted ministry with impactful programs that shelter women and children, house the homeless, and operate fundraising thrift stores. Sunday, The Jimmie Hale Mission opened its doors for a public open house to show updates to its Jesse’s Place facility.
The newly-renovated Jessie’s Place, a ministry for homeless women and children, was completed by volunteers from a local church group and Jessie’s Place staff.
During the open house event, families, church groups, volunteers and other supporters enjoyed a tour and learned how they could become more involved in this great ministry.
“Many ladies come from different walks of life so just having new rooms, its just like a new start and also its more like home, it’s comfortable, it’s cozy and sometimes that’s what you need when you’re coming from different walks of life,” said Director of Jessie’s Place, LaTonya Melton.
“We would like to thank all of our supporters that attended our open house and our donors for their contributions. You helped us make Jessie’s Place a home for our women and children and not just a homeless facility. Thank You.”
Jessie’s Place is located at 2305 5th Avenue N., and all are encouraged to support the ministry by making a donation or donating their time for homeless women and children.
Monetary donations can be given online at www.jimmiehalemission.com.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about this story on Twitter.
— John James (@john_james_20) August 19, 2015
KCTV5
(Video above: WSFA reports on Josiah Duncan’s heartfelt gift to a homeless man)
A few weeks ago in Prattville, Alabama, 5-year-old Josiah Duncan learned for the first time what it means for someone to be homeless.
After noticing a particularly dirty man standing just inside the door of Waffle House as he entered the restaurant with his mom, young Josiah asked about his appearance.
“He’s homeless,” his mom, Ava Faulk, explained.
“What does that mean?” He asked.
“Well, he doesn’t have a house,” she told him.
Josiah rightly realized the man also did not have any food, and decided he was going to do something about.
Josiah asked his mom if they could buy the man a meal, which she agreed to do. He immediately sprang into action, asking the man to come sit down, which he did, and Josiah gave him a menu, “because you can’t order without one.”
He told the man he could order whatever he wanted, which, as it turns out, meant a healthy serving of bacon. But when the food arrived, Josiah jumped back in, because there was one more thing he just knew he had to do.
“I wanted to say the blessing with him,” Josiah recalled. In fact, he decided to belt the blessing out in the form of a song, which he sang with all of his heart.
“God our Father, God our Father, we thank you, we thank you, for our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen,” he proclaimed.
The man broke down in tears, along with everyone else in the restaurant.
Matthew 25:35-40 is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
5-year-old Josiah Duncan clearly understands the meaning of that passage better than most.
“(It) will be forever one of the greatest accomplishments as a parent I’ll ever get to witness,” his mom said.
Like this article? Follow me on Twitter and let me know what you think.
— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 3, 2014
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Seasons 52 Fresh Grill in Birmingham is reaching out into the community to help address a problem that has become all too desperate in many of large cities across the country by working with the Old Firehouse Shelter to provide nutritious, wholesome meals for the chronically homeless men Firehouse serves.
“This is our way of putting our stamp on the community and doing our part and giving back. A lot of organizations may only give during holidays,” Seasons 52 managing partner Michael Gambino told Fox 6.
At the end of each day, Seasons 52 gathers the restaurant’s unused meats, vegetables, and excess catered meals, and packages and freezes them to be distributed by Firehouse.
“We have all this extra product from parties and events. Rather than just throwing it out and wasting it, we package it, freeze it, that way we can give back to the community,” said Seasons 52 executive chef Paul Heim.
Over the past two years, Seasons 52 has donated more than 1,200 pounds of food, which has been used by Firehouse to provide approximately 1,600 meals for homeless men in the Birmingham metro area.
After starting out in 1983 as simply a homeless shelter, Firehouse has become much more. According to their website, Firehouse now provides three meals a day to around 100 of Birmingham’s homeless men, and affordable housing to over 200 men each night. The program also provides meals, clothing, addiction recovery, free legal counsel, transportation to mental health professionals, job interviews, art therapy, the YMCAm and offers GED and literacy tutoring.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Alabama has more than 5,000 homeless men and women, many of whom are veterans. While reports on the exact proportion vary, between 30 percent of 70 percent of homeless individuals suffer from some form of mental illness.
Comprehensive programs such as Firehouse, which seek to meet the nutrition, health, education, and housing needs of homeless men and women are widely known to be the most successful.
To learn how you can work with Firehouse visit their website. To find a homeless shelter in your community visit www.homelessshelterdirectory.org.
Like this article? Hate it? Follow me and let me know how you feel on Twitter!
— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25: 37-40
When asking the question “what is the purpose of government,” you will receive a variety of answers, depending on the political ideology of the person you ask.
Anything from “nothing” to “defending the country” to “building roads” to “providing for a certain minimum standard of living.”
Apparently the City of Birmingham has different standards.
Birmingham city council passed an anti-small business food truck ordinance last year which favors brick-and-mortar restaurants and punishes the growing market of mobile vendors such as Birmingham’s Melt and Spoonfed Grill.
Related: API Investigates Proposed Birmingham Food Truck Ordinance
They are now trying to extend these onerous regulations to the good men and women who bring truck loads of sandwiches and other food to downtown Birmingham’s homeless population.
Don Williams of Bridge Builders Ministries was told by Birmingham Police last week that the ordinance applied to him, and he would no longer be able to distribute food to the homeless in Birmingham unless he applies for street vendor and health permits. These permits can cost hundreds of dollars, not to mention the miles of red tape to obtain.
The new restrictions do not currently apply to other missions who serve from their premises, such as Church of the Reconciler, or Firehouse mission.
While some missions are able to provide meals 7 days a week, many are not able to feed the homeless on weekends, which is where Mr. Williams sought to step in.
Bridge Builders works with 17 churches in the community to serve three meals a week to the city’s homeless population. The organization has been providing the service for the past 15 years, and last Thursday was the first time they’d been ordered to stop by the city. ACMA spoke with Mr. Williams Monday morning to get his side of the story.
“It was like a meth bust, there were so many [police] there. They ordered us to vacate and checked all the homeless for warrants [for arrest].”
Mr. Williams is now seeking a way to continue the ministry through legitimate channels.
“They told us that in order to continue we’d need to get a permit from the city, but the City of Birmingham doesn’t even know how to issue a permit to give food away.”
Until they are able to get a permit from the city, Bridge Builders will be serving the homeless out of the Church of the Reconciler’s fellowship hall.
Mr. Williams wasn’t the only one who earned pushback from the city last week. According to an ABC 33/40 reportRick Wood of the Lord’s House of Prayer was also stopped last week for handing out sandwiches under the 20/59 overpass. The new food truck ordinance was also cited as the reason for the police department’s shutdown of the ministry.
Birmingham’s homeless population is above average for a city its size. There are over 3,000 homeless men and women on the streets of Birmingham, according to Pastor Matt Lacey at Church of the Reconciler. The vast majority are African-Americans, and many of them are veterans. Is this how the Birmingham city council and police department would thank them for their service?
“Organizations that serve the homeless are in a constant dance with the city. Most of the time we are able to work together to best serve the community, and we [Church of the Reconciler] will continue to do that” Pastor Lacey told Alabama Citizens for Media Accountability Monday morning.
Birmingham officials have yet to return any requests for comment.
We’ve seen this happen before, often in far away cities. When it happened in the San Francisco area we just shook our heads and said “Well, that’s California for you.” Then this year when similar measures were taken inColumbia, SC we raised our voices and shook our fists, decrying the cruelty of their local government, but were ultimately powerless to do anything.
But now it’s here, in our back yard.
No matter your politics, we can all agree that taking the food out of the mouths of the hungry is not the role of government in any circumstance. Birmingham city officials ought to be ashamed, and we should be the ones holding them accountable for it.
However you choose to make your voice heard, make sure you take action. The homeless in Birmingham and across the state need our help, and this story of government overreach deserves all the media attention it can get.
Elizabeth BeShears is the Executive Director of Alabama Citizens for Media Accountability, a non-profit watchdog group dedicated to exposing bias in the Alabama and national media. For more of her articles, visit MediaAccountability.org.