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Families make up the fastest-growing portion of Arizona’s homeless population. According to Daniel Gonzalez of the Arizona Republic, as reported on Feb. 2, 2002: "There were 1,059 homeless families last year in Arizona on any given day, a 34 percent increase over the year before, according to the state’s Homeless Coordination Office, which since 1991 has annually counted the state’s homeless. Those families included 1,273 adults and 2,266 children…. No study has been conducted to examine why so many families are becoming homeless, but rising housing costs, the lack of well-paying jobs with benefits, and the recent downturn in the economy play a role." Often "invisible" to others because they usually live in their cars, a surprising number of these families can be found in Prescott, Arizona. They come with their children to look for help at places like OPEN DOOR, which is marking one year of service this month (March 10). "Often it is poor choices or simply not having any savings for an emergency that puts families in this place, but who among us hasn’t made a poor choice or two?" said Diane Iverson, Co-director of the program. "Through OPEN DOOR, some homeless families have been helped to find affordable shelter," she said, and hundreds more have received assistance ranging from emergency food supplies, to vouchers for hair-cuts, and many other services. "They still have a long road ahead, but they have taken the first difficult step," Iverson said. Reflecting on the experiences of the past year, Co-director Leigh Downing quotes Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who wrote, "People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." Downing said, "As we light a candle commemorating OPEN DOOR'S first birthday, we celebrate the light from within our clients, our volunteers, our church (Prescott United Methodist), and our community. The light of love, compassion and generosity is contagious." "We are celebrating the generosity of an entire community," Iverson agreed. "From the beginning this has been an interfaith project, an outgrowth of the Interfaith Coalition for Compassion and Justice. We (ICCJ) have a community JAM (Justice and Mercy) Alert that announces issues of social concern to member congregations by e-mail. These congregations support OPEN DOOR with food and funds. Describing the welcoming atmosphere at OPEN DOOR, Downing recalled a recent day when "I decided to sit down and just listen to the activities for a moment. Two volunteers were laughing with a client as she told a funny story about her little nephew. Two gentlemen shared a quiet conversation over coffee and homemade sandwiches. A client was helping a volunteer move canned goods into a storage space. He smiled and said, 'I'm happy to help if I can.' " "OPEN DOOR is helping people help themselves," Downing emphasized. "We offer a compassionate, safe environment, make referrals to other community outreach agencies, offer showers, donated food and toiletries and, in some cases, financial assistance for housing, utilities and gasoline. " In the spirit of those goals, participants in the March 10 anniversary event were invited to bring donated school supplies for low-income, at-risk children who attend Prescott elementary schools: a backpack, a box of crayons, a glue stick, pencils, or a spiral notebook. Items will be gathered into backpacks, accompanied by a tag listing all contributing congregations and service organizations, and distributed to participating schools before the start of the coming school year in August. "This year, our goal is to help as many kids as possible start on an equal playing field," said Iverson. For further information, call Prescott United Methodist Church at 928-778-1950. |
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