PADS
PUBLIC ACTION
TO DELIVER SHELTER
Seventeen Years of Service
Beginning October 5, 2007
Since October 1991, Trinity Church has provided overnight shelter and meals for homeless men, women and children - every Friday evening from the beginning of October to the end of April.
PADS is an acronym for Public Action to Deliver Shelter. The goal - provide hospitality, food, and emergency shelter to homeless people from October 1 through April 30, the coldest months.
The sites are staffed entirely by volunteers, who prepare, supervise, and clean the sleeping accommodations. They also provide, prepare, and offer dinner, breakfast, and a sack lunch, all in a welcoming, supportive, safe environment.
PADS works hand-in-hand with our partner, the HOPE Center. Together, we make up Journeys from PADS to HOPE.
From our Site Director, Sharon Loveless
Calling all New Volunteers...
We will have a new volunteer training session at Trinity this fall, in addition to other training opportunities at nearby locations. Please spread the word and encourage friends and family to become a PADS volunteer.
New volunteers are always needed and appreciated and increasing our volunteer base would help ease the work load on the current volunteers. You are our best advertising! If you're from another church, please consider posting an invitation to the training session in your church bulletin and encourage your friends to find out why we do what we do! Feel free to call or e-mail me for further information..
Once the season begins in October, you will find the sign up book in the Narthex Trinity Methodist Church most days. Please consider one of the newly created volunteer opportunities such as volunteer coordinator who would schedule volunteers as needed, or perhaps you would like to be a food coordinator or make reminder calls, jobs that can be done mostly from home... call me for more details is to be part of our great team!
Financial Donations to the site...
We will continue our gift card program for the guests once again this season. The guests really appreciate the opportunity to earn something and the volunteers all appreciate the extra hands. Our gift card incentive program has helped boost theself esteem of many guests. Guests rarely ask for vouchers anymore...they ask how can they help out this week!
All financial contributions to the site are spent on purchasing these gift cards in addition to any needed cleaning supplies, paper goods and occasionally food items that aren't donated. Last year we also repaired the refrigerator and contributed towards Trinity's carpet cleaning bill since we use the carpeted area as the men's sleeping area.
Since we are totally volunteer staffed, all donations made to our site go directly to the guests or necessary expenses in maintaining the site. We thank Trinity Church for supplying the space and utilities, but other expenses occur. Please consider us in your decisions regarding charitable contributions and please let us know if you become aware of any available business donations or grants that we could apply for. Donations are tax deductible.
Thank youl Thank you!
Most importantly, thank you again for all of the volunteer time and donations you've given to our PADS site in the past, and in advance for another great season!
On behalf of all the guests and volunteers I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Pastor Dan Swinson, Nancy McNaughton and all the people of Trinity United Methodist Church for their never ending support and commitment.
Trinity is a great place filled with wonderful people! Thank you for all you do!
Sharon...
Life is a Journey
In the end, each of us will be judged by our standard of life,not our standard of living;
by our measure of giving, not our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not our seeming greatness.
Opportunities for Volunteers
(For additional information on opportunities to serve others, please visit our 'Outreach Ministries ' page.)
SET-UP SHIFT (Site specific) - begins at 6:00 PM
- Ready sleeping area
- Set up dining area
1ST SHIFT - 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
- Setup facilities
- Register guests
- Assist with serving dinner
- Socialize with guests
- Monitor all areas and secure doors
2ND SHIFT - 10:45 PM - 3:00 AM
- Maintain intake desk
- Admit approved late arrivals
- Prepare lunches (Site specific)
- Monitor all site areas hourly
3RD SHIFT - 2:45 AM - 7:00 AM
- Maintain intake desk
- Admit approved late arrivals
- Monitor all site areas hourly
- Awaken guests
- Prepare and serve breakfast
- Collect used laundry
- Collect all forms and reports
CLEAN-UP - 6:30-7:30 AM
- Wipe down and put away mattresses, pillows, tables, and chairs
- Mop or vacuum floors
- Clean restrooms
- Empty trashcans
- Put away toiletries and clothing
The HOPE Center Program:
The HOPE Center is a service center for the homeless and near-homeless population. It is located at 1140 E. Northwest Highway , Palatine, Illinois.
Professional clinical staff confer with clients to assess their needs and provide resources. These services are provided, either internally or through referral, with emphasis toward returning individuals and families to independent, productive living.
HOPE Center services are available Monday thru Friday from 9 am till 4 pm. year round, except for holidays.
The HOPE Center offers:
Case management.
Vocational/employment services
Mental Health counseling
Referrals to pro-bono doctors, dentists, and lawyers
Outreach services
Transportation assistance
Food pantry and assistance
Clothing, coat, and shoe closets
Personal care items
Bicycles
Sleeping bags
A phone number and voicemail service and a mailing address
The Reality of Homelessness in the NW Suburbs
There are over 3000 reported cases of homelessness in all of suburban Cook County *. In the Northwest suburbs alone, there are 1200 homeless people accessing shelters with approximately 400 additional homeless people residing on streets, in cars, and throughout forest preserve locations.
Homelessness does not discriminate. It can be chronic or situational. It affects a variety of people including youth, families with children, single/married adults, and senior citizens. A large number of homeless have served in the armed forces. Many times these individuals have no healthy support system.
Diverse educational backgrounds are found among the homeless, ranging from no education to post-graduate degrees.
* Source: Illinois Coalition to End Homelessness
Frequently Reported Reasons for Homelessness
-Lack of affordable housing
- Mental illness
- Chemical dependency
- Substance abuse
- Family problems
- Poverty
- Bad luck
- Disability
- Domestic violence
- Condemned housing
A FUTURE PROGRAM OF JOURNEYS
In 2002, the Executive Director of Journeys and a long term Journeys volunteer and Holy Family Parish member brainstormed for ideas of how to more effectively move individuals out of homelessness. The driving force behind these sessions was the frustration that both women felt after continually seeing homeless individuals struggle in the traditional transitional housing programs due to lack of supports, personal accountability and program flexibility. The Northwest Suburban area of Cook County lacks the appropriate resources to holistically and comprehensively break the cycle of homelessness. Journeys currently offers emergency services through the PADS program and supportive and counseling services through the HOPE Center program; however there still is a large gap in services to effectively and permanently assist homeless individuals to stabilize their lives.
Out of these lengthy sessions comes the Pathway Development Institute program. The Pathway's program has been carefully and thoroughly designed to address the many unique life barriers the homeless population faces and offers the support and nurturing environment needed to promote success.
Pathway's Approach
Many times life presents barriers that are difficult to overcome without proper support. Journeys from PADS to HOPE, a not-for-profit agency serving the homeless and near homeless population of the Northwest Suburban area of Cook County and Holy Family Parish in Inverness, recognizes a gap in opportunities for people to become contributing members of their community.
The Pathway Development Institute has been formed to address "life barriers" to include, but not limited to, chronic homelessness.
Participants in all Pathway levels will have individual treatment plans. The programs will include counseling, case-management, and life skills training. Such areas as money management, employment, parenting (when applicable), interpersonal relationships, nutrition and stress management will help break old habits and develop important new ones. The environment will be protected by a 24-hour secure residential facility.
Each enrolled adult is expected to have a job or obtain one shortly after acceptance into Pathway Development Institute. Individuals will work directly with clinical staff to maintain employment and specifically a full time job prior to their movement into level three.
HELP PADS HELP OTHERS!