Fundraiser for homeless
was hoping for more
By
TERRY WITT
Latest update: Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 - 12:09:13
am EST
Event organizer also wants to raise money
to build a family shelter
Mary Ehresman kept her word
and gave away $3,268.13 in donations to organizations that help
homeless people this week, but it was a bittersweet moment for her.
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Ehresman said she took
pride in donating $1,089.39 each to Diana McIntosh of the CASA abuse
shelter for women and children, to Byron Goldstein of the Sanctuary
Mission homeless shelter and to DuWayne Sipper, executive director
of The Path homeless shelter.
But she had hoped to give them much more.
However, she said only four churches out of the 210 she contacted
for donations took up a church collection for the homeless on
Sunday, Nov. 19, designated locally as “Am I My Brother’s Keeper
Day.”
“When I saw what came in, I said, that’s it, I’m through,” Ehresman
said. “But I got a phone call from someone who wants to donate land
for a shelter.”
Erhresman said she is back in the fight for the homeless.
She is hoping to round up enough money for a family shelter. There
are no homeless shel-ters in Citrus County that offer housing for
couples with children. CASA offers shelter for women who are victims
of domestic abuse or sexual assault, but not couples.
CASA is doubling the size of its shelter from 16 to 32 beds.
McIntosh said the donation from Ehresman will be used for the
shelter expansion.
Sipper said homelessness is a largely invisible problem in the
county. Few see the vic-tims. They don’t line the streets.
“They don’t see the homeless, so it doesn’t exist,” he said.
McIntosh said officials at her shelter find that many of the people
they see are the “work-ing homeless.” They work at low-paying jobs
and cannot afford housing.
Goldstein said many churches provide funding for missions in China,
but nothing locally for the homeless.
McIntosh said three churches support CASA, however.
All three directors showered praise on Ehresman for her efforts to
raise money for the homeless.
“We totally support her,” Sipper said.
All three directors agreed there is a need for a large homeless
shelter in Citrus County, particularly a family shelter. When asked,
they said they would be supportive if county gov-ernment would offer
a vacant piece of land on which a shelter could be constructed.
McIntosh said a piece of land could be leveraged to obtain grant
money.
Ehresman, who belongs to First Assembly of God Church, said the
funds collected for the next, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper Day” will be
used to build a family shelter. She said it is God’s will.
“God has given a group a vision of a shelter,” she said. “Churches
in the area will provide the manpower to support this. There is to
be a church and a School of Life to provide salvation and eternal
life to all, counseling, healing, laying on of hands, hygiene,
appearance make-overs, life changing experiences, financial
education, skills and job training and whatever else is needed,” she
said in a written statement at the check donation ceremony.
She said churches have all the ministries and talents and employment
experiences that could aid in the success of the homeless shelter
operation. She said if a resident, businessman or any church would
like further information about the family shelter committee, call
her at 341-2063.
“This is something that has to move forward as the need is far
greater than we can imag-ine and it is the Biblical principal,” she
said. “It is getting worse every day.”
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Voting gives homeless opportunity
to be heard
By
Dave Pieklik
A small group of men living in
Homosassa are united by the fact they're homeless. But,
despite having little or nothing right now, they still share
an important power they believe can change their lives.
They can vote.
David, 40, Ted, 52, and Paul, 43, who have asked that their
last names not be used, share living space at the Sanctuary
Mission, a faith-based shelter for homeless men and women.
In its seventh year of operation, the shelter helps each
person get through his or her problems before preparing them
for independent living.
Part of that process exercises the right to vote.
"Voting is a component of our lives, and it should be a
component of their lives as well on their road back to
recovery," said Byron Goldstein, shelter manager. "I haven't
gone through an election year where it hasn't been of enough
importance where people have ignored it."
In Citrus County, the office for the Supervisor of Elections
says the homeless can register as voters by using the
mailing address of the shelter they're staying in. For those
living on the streets, they can also use the address for the
Supervisor of Elections.
In their case, all three men at the shelter are registered
voters through the Sanctuary, and have been closely
monitoring this year's election coverage. From television
and newspapers, they are keeping themselves informed on the
issues.
And everyone here feels his vote counts just as much as the
next guy.
"A matter of a few votes count." said Ted. "It's not just my
right, it's my responsibility as an American. You can make a
difference."
Paul has been homeless for a year after losing his carpentry
job. Although he's not registered with any party, he's
leaning toward the Republicans. While he's still trying to
make a difference in his life, he's frustrated by others who
ignore the polls.
"It burns me that people won't vote … they can't take a
little bit of time out of their life to go down and vote on
an issue that will effect their life," he said.
Before Ted ended up at the Sanctuary, he had a stable life.
He had a wife and children, a three-bedroom, two-bath house
and a well-paying job at a power company.
That's all gone, and he's struggled with substance abuse
ever since.
But he said voting is his therapy.
"You get out, exercise your right to vote. It makes you feel
better about yourself," he said. "It builds you up."
Each man has a stand on several issues.
David, who lost his job as a golf course maintenance worker
in Ocala because he couldn't find an affordable house
nearby, said the area needs better-paying jobs and
affordable housing.
"When you're bringing home $500 a month, it's pretty hard,"
he said.
While Ted is focused on better health care, he also thinks
affordable housing and jobs deserve a hard look by local
politicians.
Paul said the main problem is the country needs leadership
in the White House. Though he supports President Bush, he
doesn't agree with some recent moves, including the war in
Iraq.
"We need a clear and concise plan on what we're going to
do," he said.
But Paul also feels John Kerry isn't the right choice.
" You can't have somebody in the White House that won't
stick by their decision," he said. "Whether you like it or
not, you have to be able to stick by your decision."
David believes to make positive changes to the country and
to personal lives, people need to take steps to learn about
their potential leaders.
"Most people don't know what they're voting for. They need
to be educated," he said.
He suggests more effort should be made by the media to
supply a "who's who" guide to help voters learn about
political candidates and their platforms.
No matter where they stand, each man feels he will make an
impact when he votes, and in doing so, will make a step
toward becoming a citizen again.
"You don't have to like the outcome," Paul said, "but you
got to at least try."
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