Shelter Care Ministries has recently expanded its umbrella of ministries to include Careers & MORE, an employment readiness program whose primary target is people who are unemployable. Careers & MORE was acquired by Shelter Care Ministries in February 2013, and offers an important tool for creating sustainability in housing, which is employment.

Shelter Care Ministries was established in 1984, by Emmanuel Episcopal Church, as a response to the needs of a growing homeless population.  The programs have expanded since then to include Jubilee Center, a daytime drop-in center serving individuals with chronic mental illness, emergency/transitional or permanent supportive housing programs for families that are homeless, a drop-in day center (MAYA’S House) for homeless children and Careers & MORE, which prepares our clients for the job market by providing classes, coaching and support.  For more information about our programs or to volunteer, please contact Carol West at 815-708-2650 or cwest@shelter-care.org .

In order to qualify for the waiting list a family must be homeless, have children in their custody and be at least 21 years old (fathers may be 18 yrs old).

Please keep calling until you each a Housing Advocate. Due to the high volume of calls anticipated, we will be unable to return messages.

Families who meet the eligibility criteria and are selected for the waiting list will be notified by phone or mail. All applicants will receive information on their status by Thursday, March 28th.

Program overview

• 6 month stay, rent and utility free, in private furnished apartment
• Every family is assigned a Housing Advocate who assists with benefit acquisition, advocates on behalf of resident as needed, and supports the family as they work their plan.
• Resident sets own agenda and goals; Housing Advocate holds resident accountable.
• Adult members of the household meet with advocate at least once per week.
• Resident and agency both agree to a high standard of upkeep on the housing property.

Minimum Program Requirements 

• Family consists of adult(s) head of household with minor children in his/her custody
• Family is currently homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness
• Head of household is 21 years old (unless head of household is male, then requirement is 18 years or older)

I have heard all the old and new pope jokes – jokes about men in dresses and a few jokes about smoke. Now that we’re done laughing, it’s time to wish the new Holy See many blessings. Pope Francis, who picked his name after the saint who chose voluntary poverty and inclusion of all the living creations of God, has big shoes to fill.

He has several firsts: one — he is the first pope elected from outside Europe; second — he is the first Francis; third — he is a man who has voluntarily chosen humble means over grandeur. I am sure other firsts will emerge as he lives out his legacy in the Roman Catholic Church.

I don’t envy his task or the responsibilities that come with the miter, just as I don’t envy the task of the president of the United States, or the Governor or any other elected official. It can often be a thankless and burdensome charge.

Though there are many theological differences between Pope Francis and me, there is one very important piece of common ground we share: we both believe the gospel points to and commands us to love the poor, welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, house the homeless and love each other as we love the Lord. When I whittle it down to these most precious elements, the word is clear: Jesus said “do this for them, because when you do, you do it to me.”

Pope Francis and I stand in the same place on the issue of justice, so I welcome him and pray for him as he begins to shape and form the Roman Catholic Church under his leadership. The miter may look like it fits and is easy to carry, yet I know its burdens are many and its yoke is hard.
Peace,  Pope Francis. I relish this moment of celebration, I am sure the glow will begin to diminish soon enough.
Blessings,
Louisett M. Ness

Last Wednesday, I participated in something called “Shadowing a Principle Day.” I asked for a school on the West Side of Rockford and was assigned Barbour Language Academy located on Clover Avenue. I am not sure what I expected, but the experience left me thrilled to discover this wonderful haven for education and dream making in a school where 96% of the kids are at or below the poverty level.

Here’s a little information. The principle is Ivelisse Rosas-Barber, a tall imposing woman with energy and determination, and you can feel it in her strong and firm handshake. Barbour is a dual language school and children come from all over Rockford to attend this institution of learning. Barbour is the only K-8 grade school left in District 205.

The teachers were gracious, the students articulate in two languages, the staff engaging and welcoming. I was enraptured by the experience the children and teachers have in this oasis of education and progressive education. I could have spent all day listening and learning.

African American, Caucasian and Latino children fluently speak dual languages, working together and encouraging each other. For a brief couple of hours I witnessed how racism and classism will be dismantled, not by laws and fines and challenges (important though they are), but by the spirit of the heart in our growing children who live and experience each other in a collaborative, normalized environment. Racism will die in places like Barbour Language Academy and its amazing leader, Ivelisse Rosas-Barber, and the dedicated teachers and staff members who model the most culturally diverse educational environment in Rockford.

I was touched and inspired to be involved as I walked out the door, with school bell in hand, ringing out the news: I found something wonderful in Rockford, something to crow about. Barbour Language Academy is a jewel hidden on the West Side where people rarely travel, so it’s easy to miss.

I encourage everyone to call and arrange a visit to Barbour Language Academy. Just drive west of the city and look for the glow coming from Clover Avenue. That’s where you’ll find engaged and excited children, dedicated teachers and a school filled with joy and expectations.

This is definitely worth “celebrating what’s right about Rockford”!

I know that there are serious differences around the issue of poverty, too much poverty, imported poverty, social service agencies enabling poverty (that one really cracks me up!) I was shocked and disappointed when I spoke before the city council and then watched as members voted in opposition to our collective recommendation to use a different vendor for our data collection. It seemed odd to me that seven people would ignore the thoughtful, deliberate, careful award and allocation process that was monitored by the city attorney and the purchasing professional within the finance department.

The Mayor’s Task Force followed the procedures designed by the city and still the task force was denied the authority to choose the best product that would meet the flexible and diverse needs of organizations.

It is clear to me that anyone who states that Social Service Agencies enable poverty has spent very little time in relationship with people who are poor (people out of resources.) A community is tested and remembered for how it cared for the least of these my brothers and sisters. It will be measured by the depth of our compassion and courage of our commitment. Poverty is complex … reducing it to a simple sound bite is easier because the cure is hard. It means that people who have much share with folks who have little, however that happens.

I want to offer a prayer of graciousness for the love that was awakened by people who join with us to support the residents and members of Shelter Care.

“Together we can offer the warmth of our love and compassion as a blessing to those who are damaged or unloved for whatever reason. I want all of us to send that love out into the world to people who are desperate, to those who are starving, to those who are trapped in prison, in hospitals and into all the brutal terrains of bleak and tormented lives” (John O’Donohue.)

I invite everyone to take a few moments to sink deeply into the bountifulness of their own love and send it forward. This love is the deepest power of prayer.

I am dismayed by the waste of good energy the fighting has caused when the people we serve live in such desperate circumstances. The amount of time and resources used to contain and negotiate this relationship with the City could be better spent in the care of those whose lives we support.

The many professionals who have joined the ranks of service organizations do so because of mission, heart and wanting to make a difference in their communities. We do this work not for personal gain or glory – believe me that would not be enough to live in such unpredictable times — we do this out of love for our fellow human beings and a personal call to mission. This is the relationship that holds me when I am exhausted by the constant search for resources and relationships necessary to hold the fragile fabric of Shelter Care together. I know my other colleagues do the same thing.

It is for these reasons and many other reasons that I call on the power of love as a form of prayer for the work and workers attempting to bridge this disagreement. The details are complex and the impact is crucial. I am not asking for miracles; I am simply asking for moments of grace in this breakdown. After all, we are seeking the same ideal – a safe, healthy and vital Rockford.

Louisett M. Ness
Executive Director