Current Programs, Activities & Achievements
January 2008
MCREST Brochure
BRIEF SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATION’S HISTORY
Until 1988,
many of the homeless from Macomb County were forced to go to Oakland
County for shelter due to the lack of sufficient number of overnight
shelter beds in our County. At that time, the Macomb County
Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST) was formed as a coalition
of Churches willing to shelter the homeless in their buildings.
This coalition of Churches began to provide overnight shelter for
homeless persons and/or families during the coldest winter months.
During the first year, twenty-three Churches participated in the
program and provided for only the very basic needs of the homeless
during the most severe weather.
MCREST is unique in
that the homeless are actually sheltered in each participating
Church, not a permanent shelter building. Linens, beds, and other
needed equipment and supplies are provided by the organization and
are actually transferred each week from Church to Church by the
Churches.
Our Program
Information Specialist continually strives to recruit additional
participating Churches. For the 2007 year, we provided shelter for
all 52 weeks with 84 Churches actually housing the homeless, with
two Churches running concurrently for 32 weeks during the season.
Many Churches that house the homeless have other local Churches help
with food, transportation and overnight help during their week.
During the coldest and hottest months of the year, up to 60 men,
women and children of all ages are sheltered every evening.
We have been honored to have a tribute to MCREST published in the
Congressional Record of the United States of America to celebrate
our tenth anniversary and are celebrating our 18th
anniversary this year.
BRIEF STATEMENT OF MISSION AND GOALS
MCREST was
founded to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in Macomb
County who agree to remain alcohol and drug free during their time
in the program. Participating Churches agree to open their
facilities and their hearts to the homeless for a period of one week
per year and provide a safe, clean environment from 6:00 p.m. each
evening to 8:00 a.m. each morning. They further agree to provide:
three meals per day, showers, and, when possible, laundry assistance
and transportation, especially for those who are working. MCREST
works with other service organizations in attempting to enable
guests to plan for and implement permanent solutions to their
situation.
While our
dream is to no longer be needed because every person has a home, our
experience over the years has taught us that the homeless will be
with us for a long time to come. Our goals, therefore, are to be
able to provide shelter throughout the year and to provide as many
beds as needed for the homeless in Macomb County. Although we
provide shelter for up to 60 persons almost every night, we are
usually full and must turn people away. In May of 1998 MCREST moved
into its own building at 145 Colonial Court, Mount Clemens, MI.
During our strategic planning process, it was apparent that we had
outgrown our building and in April of 2005, we moved into larger
quarters. We have one full-time Administrative
Assistant/Bookkeeper, two full-time and one part-time Case Workers,
a Program Information Specialist, who is also a certified Prevention
Specialist, an Executive Director and an Associate Director. The
Choose A Path (CAP) program is a 90-day program for up to ten
participants who work with our CAP Case Worker to set goals and
reach outcomes towards self-sufficiency. Measurable outcomes for
this program reached 25% for those who obtained a form of housing.
The norm is 15% for an emergency shelter.
Donations have assisted MCREST in developing new programs to assist
guests with overcoming the barriers they face. One such program is
our Recovery Program. This recovery/coaching support is for anyone
with any type of addictive behavior. We attribute our high outcome
rate to this program coupled with the added support and
communication with our Case Manager.
DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES,
AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
During 52 weeks of
shelter for the year 2007, MCREST provided up to 60 shelter beds
per night for homeless persons for a total of over 18,924 shelter
nights. Each “guest" in the program is screened for alcohol use
before admittance into the shelter Church each evening and
compliance with requests for drug testing is mandatory for
participation in the program.
A member of the
MCREST Board of Directors acts as a liaison to new Churches
providing advice and support to that Church as they plan, prepare,
and execute their week as a MCREST shelter. The MCREST office and
the Board of Directors provide each Church with a training manual
and certification to provide consistency with rules and regulations
for safety and to provide an easy flow from one church to the next
for the guests. Church volunteers are certified after receiving
training in search activities.
All
participating Churches provide basic hygiene, food, and shelter
needs. Some Churches go far beyond the basic needs and provide
transportation to work and appointments, on site laundry services,
assistance with rent and security deposits, assistance in locating
possible employment, and much more. In addition, the volunteers at
each Church are there to support and listen to someone in need.
The program
also provides, in a joint effort with Downriver Community Services,
medical care, mental health and substance abuse counseling to
shelter guests. In a joint effort with the Macomb Intermediate
School District Homeless Education Project, consistent schooling for
the children of homeless families sheltered in the program is a
priority. The Salvation Army contracts with MCREST to reimburse us
for some of the direct expenses of the program and MCREST has
received funding support from various communities and corporations
throughout the County through the Community Development Block Grant
Program (CDBG), the Detroit Lions, Four Corners Foundation,
Community Foundation for SE Michigan and MSHDA as well as support
from the Macomb Homeless Coalition.
Various
community organizations, such as Sandy LaBaere and the Utica
Community School Empty Bowls dinner had been a great financial
support to MCREST by their annual fundraisers. The MCREST
organization sells sweatshirts, T-shirts, fashion house-pins, lapel
pins, held our Second Annual Silent Auction and our Second Annual
Photo Rally to raise funds for MCREST. An annual golf outing hosted
by the fundraising committee, has been held for the past twelve
years and Churches in Macomb County donate funds to MCREST
throughout the year. In 2007, we hosted our Second Annual Mardi Gras
party and in 2008 we will host our first Spring Fling Dinner Dance.
In 1995,
MCREST published a detailed program manual, which provides
instructions for setting up and operating the shelter program in a
Church facility. The manual is updated each year and describes the
health services provided through Downriver Community Services and
the screening provided by our employees. In addition to the manual,
we have produced videos that are available for the churches. MCREST
also publishes newsletters to keep the participating Churches and
local human service providers informed of our current activities.
MCREST
membership consists of participating Churches. MCREST is
administrated by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of up to
fifteen members elected at the annual meeting by representatives of
participating Churches. Members of the Board are elected for a
three-year term. The Board of Directors elects the officers of the
Executive Committee annually at their June meeting. In 1997, MCREST
had its first annual audit and has received an unqualified opinion
for 1996 and every year through 2007.
During each
week of sheltering, members of the current participating Church
provide the volunteer help to transport items from the previous
church, set up, administer, operate, supply, and close down. The
number of volunteers at each Church range from 50 to over
500, depending on the size of the Church's congregation and their
resources. Last season over 10,000 volunteers provided 76,000 hours
of service valued at $784,000, over $400,000 in tangibles and the
MCREST volunteer board members provided over 2,600 hours of service
valued at $26,000. While MCREST relies on donations and grants to
continue operations, fundraising activities must continue to expand
in order to rise above the lower amount of funding from communities
due to the current economic downturn.
In 2004, the Macomb Homeless Coalition
formed a task force to develop a 10-year plan to end chronic
homelessness. Out of this plan came the strategic initiative to
build a multi-purpose building or one-stop shop. MCREST has been
designated as the lead agency to provide this building which will
house a safe haven. This safe haven will house 25 seriously
mentally ill men who also could be dual-diagnosed. This building
will also have a day-time drop in center for those who are homeless
or in crisis. On site will be several service agencies that will
help expedite solutions and guidance with support for these
clients. We will have a medical clinic as well as a dental clinic,
laundry facilities, showers and a hot meal for lunch. This building
will be partially funded by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
grant.
An Overview of
What Happens at MCREST
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