(June 2, 2011, Norfolk, VA) – In response to declining funding for emergency shelters and the need to better assist a wide geographic service area, ForKids announces it will transition Suffolk House Emergency Shelter to an innovative Emergency Service, Rapid Re-Housing and Prevention Center for families as of July 1, 2011. The new program will offer:
- Emergency sheltering through a hotel voucher program to provide homeless families with up to 30 days of shelter throughout Suffolk and Western Tidewater. Families will no longer have to relocate out of their communities to access shelter
- Direct assistance with utilities, rent and security deposits to prevent homelessness and rapidly re-house families who have slipped into homelessness
- Intensive in-home case management for at-risk and homeless families that will be linked to cash assistance and provide aftercare to maintain family stability
- High-quality mental health services and ForKids’ signature children’s services delivered throughout the region by a mobile team
Families will connect to the services through the ForKids regional call center.
After operating Suffolk House for two years, ForKids observed that many Western Tidewater families weren’t making it to their shelter in downtown Suffolk due to transportation barriers and the fear of losing their employment, support networks and changing schools. This, coupled with a dramatic decline in government and institutional funding for the shelter, led them to look for a better way to provide services for families.
Explaining the rationale behind the program change ForKids CEO, Thaler McCormick, said, “Our current model in Suffolk has become unsustainable due to deep cuts in funding for the emergency shelter. So we’ve worked hard to redesign a forward-thinking program to ensure uninterrupted service to families in need. Through this new plan, we believe will be able to serve more families through the broad service area of Suffolk House and avoid relocating families out of their school and work communities. Constant dislocation is brutal on kids. ”
The ForKids Emergency Services and Prevention Team will operate from Suffolk House and the residential wing will be temporarily closed off to reduce costs. The ForKids Board and management will spend the upcoming months considering the best use of the residential wing and will likely consider a conversion of the space to Permanent Supportive Housing or Transitional Housing; two services currently unavailable and badly needed for families in Suffolk and Western Tidewater.
ForKids, inc. is a non-profit agency with a mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children. ForKids currently serves approximately 200 families, and over 400 children in South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater. The agency provides emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing, aftercare and homelessness prevention programs for families in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight and Southampton County. Children’s services include tutoring, educational enrichment programs, field trips, summer camps, and counseling. Adult programs include classes in life skills, parenting, budgeting, GED tutoring, counseling and case management.
ForKids began operating the family shelter in Suffolk in 2008 when the Center for Hope and New Beginnings closed.
For more information about ForKids, please visit www.homesforkids.org or call (757) 622-6400.
Media Contact:
Leila Rice
(757)622-6400 x135
lrice@homesforkids.org
