Homeless Newsletter March 2015

Next General
Meeting is
8:30 AM
March 4th
www.homelessLB.com
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
General Meeting
Louis Mena
lmena@schoolonwheels.org
Steering Committee
Patricia Benoit
benoit333@hotmail.com
Community Advocacy
Gary Shelton
Mrgshelton@yahoo.com
Educational Awareness and
Marketing
Sam Dragga
sdragga@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor
Barbara McPherson
bmcpherson@verizon.net
General Meeting: Goodwill Industries, 800 Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach
First Wednesday of every month at 8:30 am
Parking in the street or around the block
Steering Committee Meeting: First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave.,
Long Beach. Call Patty with questions: 562-438-3183 H or 562-230-8033 C
Notice: The Connections newsletter will be printed in this
newsletter when available.
Louis called meeting to order at 8:30 am
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
INTRODUCTIONS
OFFICERS:
President:
Louis Mena
Gary Shelton – LBACH Steering Committee/Advocacy
Chair/UCO Board Member
Vice President,
Communications:
Sam Dragga
Sandy Kroll –Board of Housing
Vice President,
Long Beach/ICO/ Concerned
Programs:
Steve Be Cotte
Treasurer:
Arlene Mercer
Secretary:
Jaylene Westfall
Newsletter Editor:
Barbara McPherson
Citizen
Arlene Mercer – LBACH Treasurer/UCO Executive
Director
Sam Dragga – LBACH VP, Communications
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Gary Shelton (Advocacy)
Ronald Jordan
Sam Dragga
Patricia Benoit
Joe Ganem
Joyce Ismail
Richard Hernandez
Jaylene Westfall
Joe Ganem – LBACH Steering Committee/HSAC/ LBDRC
Steven Be Cotte – LBACH VP,
Programs/DLBA, Community
Advocacy Manager
Zhena McCullom – LBACH Steering Committee/DMH
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Richard Hernandez – LBACH Steering Committee/ Disabled
4. Arlene Mercer will update LBACH Letterhead with
the new officers and donors.
Resource Center
Dalores Riley – Salvation Army
EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE
Barbara McPherson – LBACH Newsletter Editor/
The Steering Committee meets at First Congregational
Concerned Citizen
Patricia Benoit – LBACH Steering Committee/Concerned
Church The next scheduled meeting is February 18, 2015
at 1:30 pm.
Citizen
Helen Freeborn – Cal Heights United Methodist Church
Steering Committee set new goals for 2015:
Jaylene Westfall – LBACH
Steering committee/CVC,
Building Membership and attendance at
Oasis Community Center
Louis Mena – LBACH President/
General Meetings.
School on Wheels
•
Ronald Jordan – LBACH Steering Committee/Homeless
Feeding Program
Change location of meetings to MSC –
Louis and Jaylene have spoken with
Elsa and are waiting for new Homeless Services
Coordinator to start.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission of the Long Beach
Area Coalition for the Homeless is to focus community
concern on ending homelessness
•
Arlene stated that First Congregational Church has
•
Updated Flyer for the meeting to send out by email
•
Reinstating forums in Long
through education, support for
political and economic change to decrease homelessness,
and support for services that empower people.
and for website.
Beach to address homelessness.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
•
We need forums to look at what’s working and what’s
•
There was a motion to have the Steering Committee
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Motion to approve January 2015 minutes. Motion
seconded.
not.
address the planning of forums, who to invite, where
to hold them, etc… Motion was passed.
TREASURER’S REPORT
1. General Account – Ending Balance on January
31, 2015 $1,663.03. Motion to approve,
offered to host meeting.
2nd
•
There was a motion to have the Steering Committee
look at support REAP.
and vote to approve.
2. 2015 Membership dues are due starting this month.
$40 Membership for organizations and $25
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Jaylene Westfall nominated herself as Secretary.
The motion was seconded and passed.
Membership for individuals.
3. Barbara McPherson will send an email blast
2. Sandy Kroll reminded everyone of the Housing Long
Beach Fundraiser on 2/11/15.
reminding that 2015 Membership dues are due.
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3. Arlene Mercer
announced
that UCO was
just able to
purchased 153
blankets.
4. Louis Mena asked members present to think about
who we could invite to present at future meetings.
a. Project Achieve – Sandy Kroll
b. Housing Authority – Sandy Kroll
c.
Representatives for City Council Member Offices
5. Joe Ganem stated that HSAC
was holding its monthly
meeting this afternoon and that
they were holding election for
officers. He would report back on the outcomes next
month. Patti requested that he bring a copy of the
annual report as soon as it was official.
STANDING REPORTS
1. Advocacy Committee – Patti and Gary reported out.
a. Housing Authority – Consumers used to pay
30%, but are now paying 40%-50%.
i. Greatest challenge is to find landlords that
will accept the current rental amounts.
ii. They have about 500 vouchers out right now.
iii. Zhena mentioned that they currently have
vouchers available through DMH
iv. Low Cost mortgages are about to be paid off
and this will allow landlords to revert housing
to market rate.
HUD is talking to property
owners about issuing Tenant Protection
Vouchers.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 am.
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LONG BEACH AREA COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS (LBACH)
DUES ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 5, 2015
___INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
$25
___ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP
$40
NAME:__________________________________________________________________________
ORGANIZATION:__________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
PHONE:_________________________________________________________________________
EMAIL:__________________________________________________________________________
Make checks payable to LBACH and mail to LBACH, P.O Box 92365, Long Beach, CA 90809-2365.
A directory of paid members will be distributed dat the April meeting.
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Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless
P.O. Box 92365
Long Beach, CA 90809