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Over the past two years, no one single issue relating directly to the homeless in Sarasota will have more effect on them than the come-as-you-are (CAYA) shelter. The following is an attempt to define and understand the history and current discussion regarding the CAYA shelter.

My description of the shelter was formed by what I witnessed in touring Safe Harbor, a CAYA Shelter in St. Petersburg.

The shelter is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Everyone enters into a fenced-in open area through a metal detector. Plastic tubs for storing belongings are available to all before entering. The individuals can be impaired by alcohol/drugs, but if not disruptive are allowed to stay.

The open area is striped, resembling a parking lot, but the stripes separate where mats are placed on the ground for sleeping. Portable restrooms and water for hydration are available. The area is on a camera remote monitored by law enforcement.

Those who agree to be case managed and work a program created for them may sleep inside. During the day, they can come and go, but need to be back in time for the evening meal.

The idea for a CAYA shelter was brought to the forefront by Dr. Robert Marbut in the summer of 2013. After failing to interest Bradenton and Manatee County in his shelter idea, elements of the Sarasota populace and government asked him for a proposal to help increase services for the homeless.

Following a “look and learn” tour of the city and county, Dr. Marbut proposed a stock reply to the homeless problem. “Sarasota needs to build/find space for a CAYA”, he noted.

His original report was presented and accepted by the City and County Commissioners on November 25, 2013. After failing to agree upon a suitable location, the City voted to cease the CAYA process in July 2014, and the County followed suit in a vote in August 2014.

The County decided to re-engage the discussion earlier this year. A joint meeting between the County and City Commissioners to discuss the CAYA is currently scheduled for the first week in November.

During the duration, Dr. Marbut was paid over $40,000 for his initial assessment and over $80,000 for trying to implement his proposal. The cost was shared equally between the City and County governments.

Stay tuned….

The conversation took place a year ago last April. With the completion of the 2014 Giving Challenge, a Resurrection House volunteer remarked how disappointed he was in the donation response from other volunteers and donors.

The volunteer stated that he and his wife might be interested in matching all gifts up to $25,000 made to Resurrection House in the 2015 Giving Challenge. The offer was remembered and I waited for this year’s event to roll around. Fortunately, he was still interested in doing the match and it started a chain of events that saw a record amount being raised for Resurrection House.

Each of the 400+ non-profits who participated in the Giving Challenge was asked to select one individual as the official contact. Volunteer Joe Lucero was named our representative to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Joe attended the initial meetings where the rules and procedures were outlined. Being new to participating in the Challenge, Joe brought a level of enthusiasm and work ethic to the post.

We mailed out over 3,500 letters to our current and past donors to make them aware of the matching opportunities. As our volunteers worked their four hour shifts, we also made them aware of the generosity from one of their own.

As noon on Tuesday, September 1, rolled around we were anxiously waiting to see the results. By the end of the Challenge 24 hours later, we were indeed very thankful and humbled by the overwhelming response.

The Resurrection House totals look like this: 154 gifts total—$25,950, new gifts to the Giving Challenge matched by the Patterson Foundation up to $250.00, – totaling $18,650 plus the $25,000 Resurrection House volunteer for a GRAND TOTAL of $69,600.

An overview showed over 36,000 donors gave $3.8 million benefitting 449 charities. The match by the Patterson Foundation to new gifts made to the Challenge brought the overall total to more than $6.7 million.

Vice President for Philanthropic Education and Marketing for the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Susie Bowie gave the following overview, “We applaud the efforts of Resurrection House and all of the nearly $26,000 in online contributions during the 2015 Giving Challenge. Together with The Patterson Foundation’s matching support of $18,650 for new donors, this funding will no doubt provide valuable support for some of our area’s most vulnerable citizens.”

As a first-timer with this event, Joe Lucero was quoted as saying, “It was challenging gathering all the information and putting it to effective use.” “Susie Bowie was excellent and very prompt to answer any of my questions and the Resurrection House staff helped make the success possible,” Joe Remarked.

Editor’s Note: From a sideline seat, the Giving Challenge provided some interesting stories. There was a couple traveling through Alaska that wanted to donate and we found a way. A weekly golfing group calling themselves the Rosedale Misfits made a contribution—the weekly losers donate to a charity pot rather than to the winners—and this time Resurrection House won the pot. Last, but not least, the Templeton Foundation was credited with putting us “Over the Top”.

On October 20, 2015, Senior Friendship Centers will hold its inaugural “People Helping People Awards” ceremony. Three individuals and an organization will we recognized for their outstanding contributions.

The recipient of the Life Changers Award will be Dr. Donald Snyder. Instrumental in the operation of Resurrection House, Dr. Snyder has been treating homeless clients for mor than the past 10 years.

Following a recent Friday morning shift, treating 26 clients, he was quoted as saying, “It is a real privilege and honor to provide medical care to the underinsured and homeless.” The medical clinic averages over 1,800 client visits in a year.

Others receiving recognition awards include Molly Schechter, Bob Carter and the Herald-Tribune Media Group. The banquet will be held at Michael’s on East.

Each Tuesday Morning legal counsel is available to the clients of Resurrection House to discuss any legal issues the client may be facing.

Typical issues include:

• Applying for Social Security Disability
• Establishment/change of representative payee for public benefits
• Employment related issues including hiring/firing questions and obtaining earned wages
• Establishment of identity & obtaining ID cards which includes name change proceedings & obtaining vital records such as birth certificates & divorce decrees
• Driver’s license issues including reinstatement of suspended licenses; negotiating payment plans/nullification of judgments in order to obtain forms for reinstatement and traffic court issues
• Immigration questions, green card issues
• Divorce/paternity/child sharing/child support issues
• Criminal issues including explaining the arraignment process, entitlement to public defenders, general advice on crimes charged, expungement, and modification of probation
• Civil law advice on issues such as breach of contract, personal injury, products liability, civil theft issues, credit issues, income tax issues & landlord/tenant issues

As with every organization, there is always going to be changes—whether the changes are large or small. I like to characterize my time at Resurrection House as gradual changes. Of primary interest to me is the endowment for the first time topping the $1,000,000 plateau.

When interviewing for the opening of Director of Development, I can still remember the search committee members stressing the importance of growing the Endowment. That was equally important to me, knowing that a healthy endowment gives the organization stability and the opportunity to make needed changes very quickly without having to raise additional funding.

This report is a tribute to the individuals who make all this possible—our volunteers. As a volunteer retires or takes a six month visit to the north, it is amazing to watch as another new volunteer will appear to make sure the work gets done. The dedication of our 180+ active volunteers to help those individuals less fortunate is a renewal of our faith in the human spirit.

In addition, the generosity and compassion shown to the Resurrection House with each donation we receive is critical to helping us continue to provide our clients the services they so desperately need. Taking no public funds, it is the individuals, foundations and religious entities that form the core of our ability to give back to those most in need.

Miracles happen at Resurrection House. Lives are restored and people are given a sense of hope and support found in few other places.

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

Thanks to the dedication of almost one-hundred eighty Resurrection House Volunteers the many services rendered to over 3,000 Resurrection House homeless clients every year are faithfully monitored and recorded by a highly specialized team of Data Entry wizards. These individuals rarely miss a move on the part of our Volunteers — who help homeless clients in many different ways. Fortunately, these trackers record each and every service so other counselors, or volunteers can refer back to earlier visits to determine exactly what help was provided. Every service, and all materials are all recorded – including meals, clothing, transportation, bicycles and other supplies. This Annual Report, in fact, is the product of all this information data.