Thurman Brisben CENTER
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Who was Thurman Brisben? Thurman Brisben was a primary factor in TBC becoming a residential, full year, shelter. Please visit Who Was Thurman Brisben page for a full detail on her good works. What is chronic homeless - isn't homelessness all the same? According to HUD, a chronically homeless person is an unaccompanied disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for over one year, or who has had more than 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years. Note, this person must be disabled and unaccompanied. Therefore, HUD does not identify family units as possibly being homeless. TBC can verify through statistics family units who have had 4 or more episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years and who are not disabled. Homelessness does differ. There are those who are disabled, have serious mental health issues or have debilitating drug and/or alcohol issues and have been homeless continuously for a year or more. There are women and children who are running from a domestic violence situation and are temporarily without an address. There are those who have medical, educational or other issues that have caused them to become evicted and are now homeless. There are also those who have made bad choices at some point in their past which as caused a downward spiral effect and who need help getting back on their feet. All can be helped; the way to help often differs. Does TBC accept the chronically homeless? Yes, TBC will accept chronically homeless. However, the individual must be willing to address his or her causes for being homeless and must be willing to work on fixing those issues and capable of overcoming them. TBC is not a facility for seriously mentally ill and does not have the staff capability to adequately address those individual's special needs. Does TBC accept individuals with substance abuse? Yes, TBC does accept individuals with substance abuse. However, at the time of entrance to the Center, the individual must be "clean and sober". TBC has a -0- tolerance for drugs and alcohol and will require one to leave the premises if they are using either drugs or alcohol. Top of Page What are the causes of homelessness? Contrary to the stereotype, homeless occurs not only to those with serious mental health issues or drug/alcohol abuse, but homelessness can happen if you become ill and cannot work for a period; especially for the working poor who are underinsured. Homelessness happens to those with a lack of education who cannot obtain gainful employment and therefore can't afford to care for their needs. Homelessness often happens to either men or women with children when the significant other leaves and the parent is left to provide day care, housing and other needs without help. TBC has served more than one family whose home burned and Red Cross benefits expired (Red Cross can only help for a short time in an attempt to allow you time to find alternate living arrangements). Most recently, TBC is experiencing an increase of 18 year old youths who are still in high school but whose families have turned them away for one reason or another. In today's economy, where we are seeing record breaking mortgage foreclosures, many more are becoming homeless. In our area, where we are so rural, transportation is a serious factor in maintaining employment. We don't have a transit system that works early or late, nor does it work on weekends or holidays. As you can begin to imagine, there are more than a few indicators that cause homelessness. Top of Page What makes TBC different from other homeless shelters? There are many types of homeless shelters. There are shelters that we all stereotype and movies are made about that turn you out every morning and work on first come first serve every night. These shelters require nothing and provide little or no service. The intent is to give one a hot meal, a place to sleep and a shower. This was the first format of homeless shelter years ago and many shelters still use this format. There are also shelters for specific populations; such as domestic violence shelters, shelters for run-away/throw-away youth, shelters for seriously mentally ill, or shelters only for women and children. There are also shelters that are classified as programmatic. These shelters employ case managers and work to address whatever issues cause an individual/family to become homeless. The purpose of these shelters is to help one regain self-sufficiency and break the cycle of homelessness. Thurman Brisben Center is classified as such a program. Top of Page What is the youngest age for volunteering? TBC cannot accept volunteers younger than 15 years of age. Top of Page Does TBC accept donations of furniture and household items? TBC does not have adequate storage to accept donations of furniture or household items. However, often times a client of TBC needs furniture or household items when they move to their own home. Also, TBC has an aftercare program and continues to assist clients who have moved to their own residence. Therefore, we ask that you contact TBC if you have such a donation. If we know of a person or family in need, we will coordinate communication between parties. Top of Page Does TBC accept Community Service Workers? Yes. A Community Service Worker must be at least 15 years of age. The CSW should call TBC and make an initial appointment to discuss scheduling and expectations. The CSW should also bring all required paperwork for the first visit or have the Probation Worker fax it prior to the initial visit. Top of Page What is the youngest age for Community Service Workers? As with volunteers, 15 is the youngest age acceptable. Top of Page What is TBCs mission? To provide at-risk and homeless men, women and children of Planning District 16 with appropriate and essential shelter and services to affect positive life changes. Top of Page When was TBC founded? TBC was founded in 1988. Please visit our History page for details. Top of Page If you work, how can you be homeless? Working in itself does not provide for one's care. Mothers who work but need to take time off for a child's medical emergency finds herself with less funds than necessary to provide. When there is a lack of education, it is impossible to acquire a job that pays enough to provide. Eventually, robbing Peter to pay Paul catches up with everyone and something has to go. Transportation is another factor. In this area, there is not a transit system that allows for early or late workers, nor does it work weekends or holidays. Individuals who work in retail or construction are especially effected from this. There is also the consideration that many work jobs that do not pay enough to set aside for emergency. Therefore, when the vehicle breaks down, or an illness occurs, the robbing Peter to pay Paul cycle begins and ultimately ends negatively. Top of Page How does someone who is, or is about to be homeless, contact TBC? TBC can be contacted by calling 540-899-9853. It is preferred that individuals in need call rather than come to the Center. This is because we are often full and it would be a shame to have someone come to the Center only to be turned away. Top of Page Do I have to prove I'm homeless to enter TBC?
Yes. HUD requires all HUD funded facilities to verify
homelessness. A homeless person is someone who is living on the street or
in an emergency shelter, or who · Is being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing or their housing has been condemned by housing officials and is no longer considered meant
for human
habitation;
subsequent
residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support
networks needed to obtain housing; or Is it ever okay to give money to someone on the street holding a sign? No, it is never okay to give money to panhandlers. Some people panhandle and are not really homeless. Others don't use the money they receive for their stated purpose. Interestingly, there have been some panhandlers whose sign says they will work for food or money, but when offered food, they become angry. The appropriate way to help is to donate to churches or organizations that help the homeless. That way, you know the truly needy who truly desire help are getting it. Top of Page What is panhandling? Are all sign holders panhandlers? Yes, all sign holders are panhandling. Panhandling is a beggar who approaches strangers asking for money; a pauper who lives by begging. Top of Page What volunteer opportunities are available at TBC? There are a variety of projects, both for individuals as well as groups. These opportunities range from helping straighten the clothing closet, helping to organize hygiene products, meal preparation, tutoring, building maintenance, clerical - the list is endless. We ask that you contact Kim Lally, Development Director, at 540-899-9853 for more information. Top of Page Do you accept donations other than cash? Yes, TBC accepts gently used clothing while in season, personal hygiene products, any and all baby products, cleaning supplies and office supplies. Please visit our wish list for a complete list of present needs. Top of Page How can I find out about employment opportunities at TBC? TBC will post employment opportunities on this web site and advertise in the Free Lance-Star. TBC does not maintain an application pool, so you will need to re-apply if a position becomes available that you applied for in the past. Top of Page Does TBC collaborate with other organizations and agencies? Yes, TBC has a collaborative relationship with dozens of outside organizations. Only in this way can TBC provide comprehensive services to our clients. Top of Page Does TBC accept unaccompanied minors? TBC can only accept minors who are accompanied by their legal guardian. The only exception to this would be in the case of a legally emancipated youth. Top of Page Does TBC accept all homeless people? No, TBC has entrance criteria. Beyond being homeless, clients must be willing to address the issues causing their situation. Further, they cannot be a threat to themselves or others and they cannot be presently using drugs or alcohol. Top of Page If TBC is considered a "homeless shelter" how can you not accept someone if they are homeless? All organizations are expected to develop policies, to include entry criteria. As a domestic violence shelter won't take single men, TBC is permitted to place restrictions on the population served. There are different homeless populations, from seriously chronic to episodic. The governance of TBC determined where the focus would be. Similar to construction workers, a brick layer cannot necessarily lay drywall and visa versa. But, they are both in the field of construction. TBC addresses the needs of primarily episodically homeless rather than severely chronically homeless, although both are homeless and both need assistance. That's why it is necessary for our area to have more than one homeless program to address the entire state of homelessness. Top of Page How long can people stay at TBC?Individuals and families from Planning District 16 are eligible to stay at TBC for a total of 90 days provided they are actively working toward their stated goals determined during the initial assessment with their Case Manager. People from outside of Planning District 16 may only stay for one night. If there are serious extenuating circumstances TBC can allow those from outside of PD16 to remain for a maximum of 7 days in a one year time. This is a requirement of our Special Use Permit and cannot be excepted. Top of Page If I need to come to TBC, can I bring my pet? TBC cannot accept any pet. However, it is recommended that you notify us that you have a pet. There is a kennel that may be able to assist during your stay. Top of Page Do TBC residents have to leave during the day? No. There are some individuals/families that have nowhere to go during the day. TBC does require that residents be working toward accomplishing something from their program. Top of Page What is SITES? SITES, Securing Independence Through Exchanging Services, is an aftercare program designed to continue to help those who moved to permanent housing. TBC realizes that 90-days is not a very long time to fully recover from crisis and provides additional assistance such as food, clothing, furniture donations as available and holiday gifts for children. Top of Page Where is TBC located? TBC is located in the Fredericksburg Battlefield Industrial Park off the Blue Gray Parkway. Directions to the Center are available here. Are residents permitted to have visitors? Visitation by family members is discouraged. Visitation by friends is highly discouraged. However, there can be no visitation after 7:00 pm. Nor can visitors enter sleeping or meeting areas but rather must remain in the common area. Visitation by outside professionals is permitted and every effort for privacy is made. Top of Page Are residents permitted to have overnight passes? No. Either a resident is homeless and has no alternative means of housing, or s/he is not. Top of Page Why can't they just get a job and not be homeless anymore? Homelessness is caused by much more than not working. Consider an individual who is either on, or has applied for, disability. A disabled individual cannot work a full 40-hour week without loosing his or her disability. Or the mother who can't look for work without putting her children in day care, but can't put her children in day care because she has no money. There is a whole myriad of reasons why you "just can't get a job". Working in itself does not provide for one's care. Mothers who work but need to take time off for a child's medical emergency finds herself with less funds than necessary to provide. When there is a lack of education, it is impossible to acquire a job that pays enough to provide. Eventually, robbing Peter to pay Paul catches up with everyone and something has to go. Transportation is another factor. In this area, there is not a transit system that allows for early or late workers, nor does it run weekends or holidays. Individuals who work in retail or construction are especially effected from this. There is also the consideration that many people work jobs that do not pay enough to set aside for emergency. Therefore, when the vehicle breaks down, or an illness occurs, the robbing Peter to pay Paul cycle begins and ultimately ends negatively. Top of Page Isn't TBC classified a transitional program? After all, it requires residents to participate in programs to help get back on their feet. No, the definition of a transitional program is one with a length of stay of up to two years. TBC is classified as an emergency shelter. At this time, government funding sources are requiring outcome measurements from all emergency shelters. Without programs, TBC could not obtain the outcomes required by funding sources. Eventually, all shelters will require clients to participate in programs or lose their government support. Top of Page How is TBC funded? TBC receives funds from HUD through set-aside funds known as Emergency Shelter Grant. TBC also receives funds from the Commonwealth and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) known as State Shelter Grant and Child Services Coordinator Grant. These funds are available to all homeless providers who are 501 (C) 3 and meet minimum standards as set forth by the Department of Housing and Community Development in Richmond. In addition, TBC receives an allocation of funds from each of the jurisdictions it serves, from Rappahannock United Way and from donations from churches, businesses and individuals. Top of Page What happens if someone tries to come to TBC and you are full - where do they go? When TBC is full, staff provides the applicant with alternative shelters and their phone numbers. The problem with this is that TBC is the only shelter in 4 counties and the city of Fredericksburg, so any other shelter is a distance away. To compound this, most communities are adopting the same residency requirement as TBC has, so even if they could get there odds are they wouldn't be permitted to stay. Sometimes people can find a friend to allow them to stay for a day or so until space come available. Other times, churches or other organizations will cover the cost of motel for a night or so until space becomes available (churches verify that TBC is full before doing this). During the winter months, if the temperature is below freezing, the cold weather shelter is open. Some, though, have no other alternatives available to them. For them, our hearts go out. Top of Page Is 80 beds enough? Yes, 80 beds is enough. TBC presently has a 78% utilization rate, which shows that it is not full most of the time. Top of Page What is Planning District 16? In 1968, Virginia was divided into planning districts based on the community of interest among its counties, cities and towns. A Planning District Commission is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth chartered under the Regional Cooperation Act by the local governments of each planning district. As such they are a creation of local government encouraged by the state. The Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions helps its members meet their responsibilities to local and state government and coordinates inter-PDC functions. There are 21 PDCs in Virginia. They are made up of elected officials and citizens appointed to the Commission by member local governments. The Commission selects an Executive Director responsible for managing daily operations. Commission offices are located generally in a central location for the region as determined by the Commission charter. Meeting schedules vary, and meetings are open to the public. Persons needing additional information are encouraged to contact your local PDC . The purpose of Planning District Commissions, as set out in the Code of Virginia, Section 15.2-4207, is
Specifically, Planning District 16 is the City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. TBC was going to begin a Day Care. What happened to it? TBC has internal space that will eventually become a Certified Day Care program. TBC is presently engaged in a feasibility study to determine spacing issues and the required start-up funding to avoid failure. It is anticipated that the Day Care will be functioning within the next 1 1/2 to 2 years. Top of Page Do people ever come back to TBC? Yes, there is recidivism that occurs. Some of the reason is because 90 days is not a very adequate time to fix what perhaps took years to damage. The economy is a factor as well. In addition, there are some individuals that don't believe they need help and are determined to continue on the same path. They finally realize that they do need some help, as most of us do at one time or another, and return. TBCs recidivism rate is about 30%. Top of Page What is recidivism? Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior. Top of Page What is TBCs success rate? The number of people leaving the Center to permanent housing is between 25 and 28 percent. Top of Page What is considered success? Although HUD presently only looks at the percentage of people moving from shelter to permanent housing, TBC realizes that there are many other forms of success. This year alone, nine individuals graduated their GED studies and can now begin to move up the corporate ladder. One mother regained custody of her children and the consistency of living at TBC was a contributor to that. Many parents went to parenting classes, adult and children's medical and mental needs were addressed, children participated in resiliency group sessions to help them cope with their sudden change in lifestyle, disabled people who had previously been denied disability and didn't understand the appeal process were aided in the appeal and won, and the list goes on. Although not counted with statistics, TBC knows that positive changes occur with most of the clients. Top of Page I called TBC about someone I knew and the staff wouldn't give me any information. Why? TBC is governed by strict federal confidentiality laws. Staff is never permitted to breach the confidentiality to the general public. Because the staff at the Control Center are not necessarily aware of who is another service provider and who is not, they will only respond with "I cannot confirm or deny if such a person is at TBC". If you are a service provider and need information, you may call one of the Case Managers or the Executive Director. No other person is authorized to provide information to you. If you are a friend or family member, we regret that we will not disclose information. Top of Page What is a Continuum of Care and does this area have one? The Continuum of Care is mandated by HUD and every locality in the United States that receives federal homeless assistance funds is required to have one. The Continuum of Care for PD 16 is the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care. The CoC meets monthly. Any agency receiving homeless services funds is required to be a member, any person or agency interested in homelessness concerns, or those at risk of homelessness, is encouraged to join. Top of Page What is HMIS? Does TBC participate? HMIS is the Homeless Management Information System - a database intended for the entire CoC to participate in. Through full participation, a continuity of services can be provided and needs can be quickly noted. Eventually, HUD will gather their information on homelessness through this system. HMIS is an unfunded mandate by HUD. In FY07, the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care was awarded a grant that allowed for the implementation of HMIS in this area. The HMIS began functioning in PD16 in the Spring of 2008. Top of Page What is the Point in Time Count? The Point in Time Count (PIT) is a snapshot of how many homeless are in a given area on a specific 24 hour period. The date is typically the last week of January and is done throughout the nation. Top of Page What should communities and legislators by doing to address the nation's homeless issues? The best way to answer this question is to refer you to the National Coalition of Homelessness for detailed information. Top of Page
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Capital Campaign | To contact us: POB 1295, Fredericksburg, VA 22402; 540-899-9853; shelter@brisbencenter.org |