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Interview Guide

Anthony Eodice

Kaitlin Brunner

Justyna Serowik

 

 About what percentage of the homeless individuals that have received services from Journeys have gone on to become successfully self-sustaining and independent? This past year, they had over 10% become stably housed, true homeless people 400 out of 1400. Majority of people are just poor.  Of shelter true homeless – 28%

 

2.What do you think is the most important trait for a case manager to have, when working with homeless clientele? Compassion.

 

3. Can you explain how the Pathway Housing Readiness Program works? How do know you when a client is “ready”? We know they are ready when they start acting responsible, no drugs.



4. Does Journeys collaborate with other human service organizations within the community, (besides PADS) ? HUD – housing urban development – community development block grant  - block grant – federal government gets a lot of money doesn’t know what to do with it gives it to the poor communities



5. What are some of the most common issues Journey’s faces?

A lot of funding is going to housing – not as much funding as emergency side of it. a lot of volunteers are aging, dying off. Need younger volunteers to come help. More electronic, tablets, get with it.

6. When and how was the organization started? Journeys started originally with the name PADS, it was a public action delivery shelter. Churches will take people in and take people off the streets to sleep overnight – very Christianity based. Another part of the organization was called Hope Now – began in 1996 – a bunch of individuals realized administrative needs to get funding to house homeless. Both of these organizations merged together in the late 90’s to form Journeys.



7. Do you think there are a large number of people who need Journey’s services, but are not currently using them? No they have over 1300 clients. if they need the services, they will find journeys.  



8. Has Journey’s influenced the community in creating more affordable housing in the northwest suburbs? No they have not, because a lot of communities are trying to do that. Only have 15 employees.



9. How long do people typically use your services? Depends on how screwed up they are. Sometimes they are very mentally ill. They listen to voices and talk to them.



10. How is Journey’s funded? Journeys is funded by HUD. Federal level servicecontract - $180,000 a year, it is slowly decreasing, strictly for homeless service providers. They get emergency grants. They also get funding from townships – special district. Pulled from tax payers from CDBGF – strictly for poor – certain income. Faith based fundraising as well. Also individual fundraising (collections).



11. Are community leaders supportive of Journey’s efforts to provide shelter and services to those in need of them? Arlington Heights did not want to fund journeys anymore. Police station



12. Can you explain into further detail how you operate your two fundraising events, run/walk for hope, and bid for hope? Journeys is a business, don’t produce a profit that is given to share holders, they take the profit and re invest it into the organization – they provide a service. The more fundraising the more money they can make, to give it to the people who need it. Process all donations – put out newsletters and mailings, get a lot of money from just that. 99% of the time, it is a repeat donation – same people, they give because they are genuinely moved by homelessness.

 

13. For your Pads emergency shelter I notice that you give shelter to the homeless between October 1 and April 30, what happens in the other five months between May and September? They sleep outside in the summer – garages, friends businesses and sleep in those. Car, park, building, in Arlington Heights the homeless slept in the parking lot in stairways in parking garages next to library (sky bar).



14. Do you allow hospitality for guests for more than just an overnight stay? Do you allow them to stay more than just a night? Every church is a different night, on one given night there is two or three churches. It is hard to get a shelter built anywhere, because no one wants homeless people hanging out in their community – that’s why PADS was created



15. How do the homeless initially find your shelter? Are they transported from a service that you offer? They just know. You get to the point of being that poor, you find out by looking around.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.