Cornerstone Community Outreach

Sassy said…
What a dear little girl. She is trying so hard to be brave. JPUSA people who read this blog: how many homeless children would you say are in your shelters? How long do they typically stay? Any thoughts or suggestions for things the community could donate or provide for these kids?

Hi Sassy, thanks for your encouraging post.

I work for Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO), and here are some answers, but not really the whole picture…

-”how many homeless children would you say are in your shelters?”
Stats show that more than 50% of homeless are children, and that is mostly consistent at CCO. Throughout the year, the average is around 160 or so.

-”How long do they typically stay? ”
Most families stay at CCO for an average of 3-4 months. Some shorter, and some longer, it depends on each individuals needs and goals.

-”Any thoughts or suggestions for things the community could donate or provide for these kids?”

Some of the families really have lost everything along the way to being homeless. It is hard for the children, and I feel that consistency is what everyone desires, including children. At CCO, we really want to meet each individuals needs, and help them get back on there own. One of the most lasting ways to provide for the kids, is to provide for the parents, and get them housed.
For example, donating things that the parents would have to pay for, like school supplies, money to help them get ID’s and birth certificates, transit cards to get to appointments or jobs, kitchen wares for when they are housed, and even rent or security deposit money, are huge for a family just starting out.

I know this is a lot of info. How can you help?
Come by, volunteer, and even make a donation to CCO. CCO relies on private funding for a lot of its work, and would appreciate any donation, to continue doing the work.

You can contact me at awinter [at] ccolife.org, to continue this discussion, and check out CCO’s blog at http://ccolife.org/blog.

June 4, 2009 8:40 PM