Enlarge Staff of Hope Haven gather to discuss the Crossroads Charlotte scenarios

Posted: May 23rd, 2012 Brant Aycock

Division.  Action.  REALITY. 

These were some of the words residents and staff of Hope Haven used to describe the four Crossroads Charlotte Scenarios when they viewed the films and heard the stories read aloud on May 19^th.  Hope Haven provides residential recovery services for more than 300 homeless, chemically dependant adults and families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg as they work their way towards independence.  Crossroads Charlotte’s tagline of “Imagine Our Tomorrow, Act Today” was especially meaningful to this community – where they know firsthand how the choices one makes can lead to positive OR negative outcomes.

“Hope Haven is a diverse community within greater Charlotte Mecklenburg,” says Hope Haven Vice President of Human Resources Nancy Harville.  “We provide hope to the homeless through a structured recovering environment, with the goal of returning to the Charlotte community as a productive citizen.  This event with Crossroads Charlotte allows our Residents to gain an insight into just what the greater Charlotte community is or can be.  Our Residents are able to internalize the understanding that they can make a difference.”  

Facilitators Dianne English and Annetta Foard had individuals read the written scenarios (Fortress Charlotte, Class Act, The Beat Goes On, and Eye to Eye) and then the group watched the corresponding film version.  Afterwards, they broke into small groups to discuss what they had seen and what it meant to them.

One resident (NOTE:  to protect the privacy of those in residence at Hope Haven, no names will be given), who identified with a single working mother in the films, remarked how sometimes a person can get so involved in their own circumstances that it blinds them to what others are going through. 

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Posted: March 26th, 2012 Lee Howard

Chris Johnson says he’s never found himself at a place where he necessarily wanted for anything. But the 19-year-old journalism student said he got a recent education in just how fortunate he’s been in life.

A film presented by Crossroads Charlotte, Temple Beth-El and Mecklenburg Ministries called “Souls of Our Neighbors” attempted to dispel certain myths about homelessness to a roomful of about 50 gathered Saturday, March 24, at UNC Charlotte’s new Uptown Campus. Most of those attending were from area high schools. Though a contingent of about a half dozen kids from the University of South Carolina Upstate, including Johnson, also attended.

The film depicts the real-life experiences of six Charlotte families who faced and overcame homelessness in what, by many measures, is regarded as one of the most prosperous cities in the country.

Johnson, a sophomore from Hampton, S.C., said he found the story of the Masters family particularly compelling.

Richard and Stacey Masters found themselves having to live in a tent in the woods for five months, even though Stacey had a full-time job. Their two daughters had to do their homework by candlelight.

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Posted: March 22nd, 2012 Tonya Jameson

The next challenge facing Charlotte’s leaders isn’t the fight for equality, but the fight to treat each other ethically. This is a struggle without an easily recognizable enemy. This battle doesn’t have separate but equal water fountains to dismantle, and it has even fewer laws to pass or overturn. It’s a fight that challenges us to uphold the principles that are the fabric of what American strives to be.

This battle requires us to acknowledge that we are different, to embrace those differences and to treat each other with human dignity.

On Tuesday, March 20, Davidson College President Carol Quillen discussed this new challenge during her keynote address at A Woman’s Place, hosted by Levine Museum of the New South at ImaginOn. Quillen’s talk was part of the celebration honoring Rabbi Judy Schindler as the 2011 Charlotte Woman of the Year.

During the program, Crisis Assistance Ministries executive director Carol Hardison highlighted Schindler’s steadfast efforts to make Charlotte a more humane city. She recalled Schindler’s efforts to help Hurricane Katrina victims. Hardison noted Schindler’s creation of the “Souls...” documentary series which advocates for students, teachers and affordable housing. Hardison talked about Schindler’s decision to step into the fray over same-sex marriage by marrying seven couples in Washington last year.

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Posted: March 20th, 2012 Lee Howard

Here are stories that caught our eye recently...

In the past two years, nearly 70 homeless families in Charlotte have been able to leave overcrowded shelters and step into fully furnished homes, courtesy of a partnership of nonprofits and government agencies. Much of the credit goes to a volunteer group of 75 women from St. Gabriel and St. Matthew Catholic churches.

The Democratic National Convention announced that it plans to spend at least one-third of its money with businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the gay community. The efforts include an online vendor directory to help local businesses land work during the DNC.

The Critical Need Response Fund began as a one-winter-only effort to help charities swamped by needy people. But it’s burgeoned into its fourth year, raising money for nonprofits that provide food, clothing shelter and warmth. The United Way, which took over the program in 2010, predicts this year's campaign will raise $100,000 to $300,000 for those in need.

Voices of Love is one of many gospel choirs in the Charlotte region. But what makes this choir unusual is that most of its members are homeless. A core group practices each week at Charlotte’s Urban Ministry Center.

Tim Alden Grant, Emilia Fuentes Grant, Adam Hobbs, and a whole cast of other locals, produced the Bad Romance: Women’s Suffrage video for Soomo Publishing. The video, which premiered recently to coincide with National Women’s Day, pays homage to Alice Paul and the generations of brave women who joined together in the fight to pass the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1920.