“Thank you UNCG!”

Interactive_Resource_Center — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:35:50 +0000

We would not be able to do what we do without our many wonderful community partners. UNCG was one of our very earliest partners and remains one of our most important–UNCG students and faculty work with us on everything from case management to computer skills to art to entrepreneurship. The Office of Leadership and Service Learning at UNCG asked Mad Monk Interactive to make a video about some of UNCG’s partnerships. They did a beautiful job of capturing who we are and what we do together!

In just one day…..

Interactive_Resource_Center — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:10:25 +0000

This Monday, May 21 we saw 202 people. Of those people 176 or 87% were homeless, 14 were veterans and 26 were new to the IRC. While they were at the IRC 61 people used the computer lab, 14 people checked their mail, 10 people sat down with a case manager, 15 people saw the medical nurse, 5 people saw the mental health/substance abuse nurse, and 18 people sought housing counseling, 4 of them because they were experiencing an acute housing emergency. In addition our 202 guests did 21 loads of laundry, took 27 showers, received 11 referrals for clothing and food and applied for 2 free cell phones.

And in just one month…..

April 2012 Snapshot
INTAKES: 154

Resumes prepared: 215
Temporary jobs found: 7
Part-time jobs found: 14
Full-time permanent jobs found: 10
TOTAL JOBS FOUND: 31

Emergency shelter placements: 22
Transitional housing: 5
Residential treatment: 1
Permanent housing by household: 11
Total adults assisted with permanent housing: 16
Total children assisted with permanent housing: 10
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS SHELTERED OR HOUSED: 54

How do we do it!?
With a lot of help from our friends!

The IRC could not operate without our volunteers and our community partners. Every one of our departments (housing, employment counseling, facilities, etc.) is managed by a single paid staff member who orchestrates a huge number of volunteers every week. In April alone volunteers donated 1,772 hours of service to the IRC (it’s worth noting that 353, or close to 20 percent, of those hours came from guest-volunteers). The Independent Sector, a national advocacy group for non-profits, calculates that the fair market value of a volunteer hour in North Carolina is $18.80–that adds up to over $30,000-worth of time and talent donated to the IRC every month!

IRC Car Wash, Saturday, May 19, 9:00 to 3:00

Interactive_Resource_Center — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:20:59 +0000

IRC guests, staff and volunteers are holding another car wash on Saturday to raise money for the Guest Assistance Fund. Last month our hard working washers and generous customers put more than $1,000 into the fund which helps us provide everything from money for a birth certificate to a pair of work boots. You can show your support–and get a full wash and detailing–by coming by 407 E. Washington Street between 9:00 and 3:00. Suggested minimum donation is $10.00.

You’ll drive away looking good and feeling even better!

April Jobs Report

Interactive_Resource_Center — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:57:46 +0000

Resumes prepared: 215
Jobs applied for: 680
Clothing provided: 32
Temporary jobs found: 7
Part-time jobs found: 14
Permanent full-time jobs found: 10

Total jobs in April: 31

Congratulations to all the people who found work through the IRC last month–and to Employment Specialist Will Howard and the dedicated volunteers who helped them. Finding a job is no small feat these days, especially for those who may have been out of work for a while and are also trying to get a grip on other aspects of their lives. This is where our comprehensive approach really pays off: we can help a job seeker with everything from a medical assessment to getting a replacement ID to finding a shelter bed while he or she is also looking for work.

These days it’s not unusual for someone to put in 150 applications before getting a nibble. We encourage everyone looking for a job to take our three-day Job Skills class. During the class participants learn how to sell themselves (a great group of volunteer businesspeople help us conduct mock interviews); we also help job seekers prepare professional-looking resumes and cover letters. When a person finally does get that call we can offer him or her a nice outfit for the interview if need be and bus passes to get to the interview and back; once the person gets the job we can also help out with 11-ride bus passes until the first paycheck–we don’t want anyone to lose a job in the first couple of weeks because of transportation problems.

It’s not easy and it takes time, but it works. We couldn’t be more proud of all the men and women who stuck it out and are now back in the community employed and self-sufficient.

“Help them to help us.”

Interactive_Resource_Center — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:14:46 +0000

Last week I had a call from Mark Geary at News2. He had been outside the Federal courthouse covering the John Edwards trial when one of our guests stopped him and told him he should do a story on the IRC. “I understand from the man who stopped me that you’re struggling a bit financially right now,” Mark said over the phone. “I love what you’re doing over there and I’d like to let the community know.” Thursday evening the IRC was the lead-in story on the evening news.

In early February we celebrated our third birthday with a $15,000 challenge grant from an anonymous donor. You responded! We not only met but exceeded our match: $22,044 in eligible contributions in February and March. Thanks so much to our many friends in the Greensboro community and beyond!

But as we are raising money we are also and always looking at ways we can keep our monthly operating expenses lean and sustainable. At the end of March we had to make the hard decision to suspend weekend open hours (we had been open 10:00 to 2:00 on the weekends through the winter). Weekends are difficult for people on the street: many services are closed or on limited hours and there’s not much of anyplace to go and not much of anything to do. Nonetheless, we agreed that our first responsibility is to keeping our core program strong and financially healthy. Weekends will be back–just not yet.

There was consternation in the day room when we announced the weekend closing, but also a lot of understanding. The people who come to the IRC for help told us clearly and firmly that they wanted to be part of the effort to get the IRC get on a firmer financial footing. And they are! Last weekend dozens of IRC guests showed up for the first car wash of 2012 and raised $1,012.56 washing a non-stop stream of cars. All that money went directly into our Client Assistance Fund to help with utility deposits, work boots, bus tickets home and the like. Then last week the call from News2!

I was moved earlier this month by an open letter to the community written by one of our guests. “I was recently released from incarceration” he wrote. “I was dropped off in Greensboro with NOTHING! No ID. No clothes. No work or prospects of work. I came to the IRC on referral from another client with doubts…just another place to shuffle me off to the next place. But they have not done that here at the IRC. They have helped me and are helping me with everything you can possibly imagine to get some stability in my life. I need the IRC to stay clean and to stay free. We all need this program. They do everything they can to help us here but they need help to provide this for us. PLEASE help them to help us.”

Thank you to everyone who cares about and cares for the community of the IRC. We’ll be here as long as there are people who need us.

Hot off the presses!

Interactive_Resource_Center — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:18:49 +0000

Our friends at the The Greensboro Voice have just produced another excellent issue featuring personal stories, profiles, news, art, poetry and more. You can pick up a copy of The Voice at the IRC or at various locations around town–and while you’re at it, pick up this week’s issue of YES! Weekly with a wonderful account by YES! Weekly editor Brian Clarey of attending an editorial meeting with The Voice staff.

Congratulations to Teresa Hicks!

Interactive_Resource_Center — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:35:23 +0000

Teresa Hicks has been recognized for her outstanding work in helping people find emergency shelter and permanent housing with the 2012 “Housing Our Neighbors” Award. The award was presented at the February 29 annual Housing Summit sponsored by the Greensboro Housing Coalition. And unrelated–and well-deserved–Teresa also won the raffle drawing at the Housing Summit for a night at the Proximity Hotel!

New video about the IRC

Interactive_Resource_Center — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:41:25 +0000

Thanks to Stephen Davis for creating a video about the IRC, what we do, and why we do what we do the way we do it…..

Seven dollars.

Interactive_Resource_Center — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:20:48 +0000

We start every morning here at the IRC with a meeting in the day room to go over the schedule for the day, answer questions, share information, and often to discuss the inspirational quotes that Jenny puts up on the whiteboard. The meeting facilitation rotates among the staff; Friday is my morning. I took the opportunity last Friday to tell the 60 or so people assembled in the day room about a wonderful $15,000 challenge grant we’ve been given to mark our third anniversary.

And then an amazing thing happened–a man put his hand up and said “How can I give a dollar?”, and he followed the question by walking across the room and handing me a dollar. A woman reached down, unzipped her purse and gave me a dollar. A man dug into his pocket and pulled out a single wadded up dollar and gave it to me. In the space of just a couple of minutes I had seven worn, crumpled dollar bills in my hand. Someone started clapping; someone else joined in and the whole room erupted in spontaneous applause. I don’t think I was the only one close to tears.

Matched by the challenge grant, those seven dollars are the equivalent of a sponsorship of a sponsorship of an individual at the IRC for a full day and a half. If ever we needed evidence that what we do at the IRC is needed and appreciated it is that handful of dollars.

The challenge grant runs through March 31; any gift given since January 1 counts toward the total. You can make a gift online, or by mailing a donation to:

Interactive Resource Center

P.O. Box 20568

Greensboro, NC 27420

Thanks to the benefactors in the day room we’ve only got $14,993 more to go!

Liz Seymour

Meet the Artists!

Interactive_Resource_Center — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:16:40 +0000

The first First Friday of the year is coming up and this time we’re celebrating our amazing artists. Come out to the IRC this Friday, January 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 for music, refreshments and some great art.

Click to view slideshow.