A note from HOPE President, Kris Kvols

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them..."
-William Arthur Ward


The above quote was printed at the bottom of an e-mail message from a colleague.  I find it fitting for the situation and for myself.

On the evening of June 30, I listened to stone throwing rhetoric spouted by both sides when negotiations failed and shutdown moved from “looming” to “reality”.  I spent much of June complaining - about politics in general, what I perceive as a lack of regard for the impact on people we serve, and HOPE Coalition’s limited ability to serve clients during a shutdown. Last week I stumbled my way through the actual financial consequences of the shutdown and suggest courses of action for HOPE Coalition’s Executive Committee to consider.  For the remainder of July, with Board guidance, HOPE Coalition will climb over shutdown obstacles and guide our clients in doing the same. And, together with programs across the state, coalitions such as the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women and the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless will move from strategizing how to survive a shutdown to building new models for client advocacy, public awareness, and service provision during the shutdown and after budget cuts have been passed.

My sincere hope is that our Legislature and Governor will also find ways to move from throwing and stumbling on stones to building the state’s future with them.  If you have not already done so, please contact your legislators and the governor to encourage compromise that will allow Minnesotans to rebuild from the damaging effects of the shutdown.

Sincerely,
Kris Kvols
HOPE Coalition President

Shutdown Impact for HOPE Coalition

On June 24, the Executive Committee of HOPE Coalition’s Board of Directors met and voted to continue programming as usual until July 15 if there was a shutdown.  At the time of that meeting there were many aspects of potential shutdown consequences that were unknown, making it difficult to develop an extended plan of operation for the agency.  The Executive Committee met again on July 7 to re-evaluate the situation and asked me to prepare contingency plans for the July Board meeting.  At this point, HOPE Coalition has enough funding to operate the Haven of Hope and Kids Count for up to two months and the Transitional Housing Program for up to three months.  On July 18, the HOPE Coalition Board of Directors will meet to discuss and determine contingency plans for a long-term state shutdown.

Approximately 80% of HOPE Coalition's current funding comes from state and federal grants.  All of it is funneled through state agencies on a reimbursement basis.  This means that HOPE Coalition spends the money, submits monthly documentation to state agencies and receives payment for the amount spent.  Neither crime victim service programs nor transitional housing programs were on the list of essential or core services submitted by Governor Dayton and approved by the Ramsey County Court for ongoing funding on June 29.

HOPE Coalition's Transitional Housing Program serves three families.  Approximately 75% of that program funding comes through a two-year grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services Office of Economic Opportunity (DHS OEO).  The last day of HOPE Coalition's current grant was June 30, 2011.  In March, HOPE Coalition submitted an application for a renewal grant for July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013.  Because the Governor and Legislature did not reach agreement on a budget before the end of the Legislative Session, DHS OEO, cannot announce grant awards.  The State of Minnesota will not issue funding without a valid grant contract.  HOPE Coalition does not know if, when, or how much DHS OEO funding it will receive.  United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha, and Pierce Counties has graciously agreed to provide HOPE Coalition with the full amount of grant funding awarded in April.  Usually, this funding would be distributed quarterly as outlined in the grant contract.  This funding will allow the Transitional Housing Program to run pretty much as usual for July through September.  However, with no state funding, HOPE Coalition has no choice but to give these three families notice that they have until the end of September to find alternative housing and support services.  Should a state DHS OEO grant be awarded during those months, HOPE Coalition would work to re-institute all possible services.

The Haven of Hope Domestic Violence Shelter and Outreach Services Program serves up to 24 women and children (at a time) in shelter and approximately 20 community members per week through outreach.  Our state contract with the Minnesota Office of Justice Program (OJP) runs from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011.  So, unlike Transitional Housing, HOPE Coalition had an existing contract for the Haven of Hope going into the shutdown.  Unfortunately, there are no assurances of retroactive reimbursements for state funding spent during the shutdown unless the Legislature specifically includes that in any bill that is passed after the shutdown is over.  Almost 100% of Haven of Hope funding is funneled through OJP, however, for this year’s contract, about 40% of that is actually federal dollars.  The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women (MCBW) filed a brief with Ramsey County Court and testified before Ramsey County Court appointed Special Master Kathleen Blatz on July 1 that services to victims of domestic violence victims be considered essential and added to the list of programs to remain funded during the shutdown.  They also requested that the court rule that a state shutdown could not interfere with the federal funding.  Governor Dayton has submitted three separate recommendations to the Special Master for various additions to the list of core services.  In each of these correspondence, he has indicated that crime victims services funded through OJP be added to the list.  As of the morning of July 12, Ramsey County Court has yet to release a ruling.  If crime victim services are not deemed essential or core services, the Haven of Hope will not receive ongoing state funding during the shutdown.

Kids Count Abused Children’s Program receives 75% of its funding through OJP, has the same contract as the Haven of Hope, and would be included in any ruling regarding OJP funding for crime victim services.  For the summer months, Kids Count does not run its weekly support groups for children, however, it does continue to provide individual contact with children and parents in need of services and summer activities for children and families.  As with the Haven of Hope, Kids Count will not receive ongoing state funding during the shutdown unless crime victim services are deemed essential by the Ramsey County Courts.

The Community Care Fund is funded through grants from the Jones Family Foundation and United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha, and Pierce County.  It is also supported in large part by donations from local area churches.  Because these funding sources are not affected by the shutdown, the Community Care Fund will most likely continue services with little disruption for the near future.

As with many non-profit agencies that receive state funding, HOPE Coalition has been closely monitoring the state shutdown in an effort to project the impact on client services.  Once the Board of Directors has developed a contingency plan for HOPE Coalition, the HOPE staff will be informed of the plan and an overview of the plan will be made available to the public.

Adam's Journey - a story of hope

Nine years ago, we met Adam through his long-time partner, Jill.  Jill had called the crisis line in search of a safe place to stay—a place to keep their three children safe. 

Throughout the years his partner and children have attended HOPE support groups, but Adam has never been ready—or willing—to change.  He would move back in with Jill after making promises to quit drinking and then pick up the bottle.  Things would fall apart and he would become violent. 

Adam’s drinking is a way of coping with low self-esteem and hopelessness.  He has a learning disability and never learned to read, which has made it difficult to find employment.  He has been in and out of homeless shelters his entire life.   His mother died when his was little, and his father abandoned him at a Greyhound bus station when he was a teenager. 

Six months ago, Adam, now 46, was taken to jail on another domestic assault charge.  While in jail, he got news that his alcoholism was taking away more than his family—it was taking his life.  He was diagnosed with late-stage liver disease.  It was a wake-up call for Adam.  “I realized that without help, I was never going to stop drinking.  And if I didn't stop, I was going to lose my family for good—or lose my life to this addiction and never see my kids again.  The looks on their faces made me want to change.”

While in jail, Adam sought help.  His dream is to reunite his family and repair broken relationships. Adam took advantage of all of the self-help programs that the jail offered.  He regularly attended Alcoholics Anonymous and HOPE’s group on Release Planning.   He was released from jail in March and has been clean and sober since. 

Within a week of being released, Adam moved into an apartment—the very first apartment that has even been “his.”  He has a network of supportive adults helping him on the road to success—five agencies, including HOPE, partnered to help Adam on his road to recovery.

Dreams be the way

The following poem was written by Issac, a homeless youth who is now in custody at the Goodhue County Adult Detention Center.  Isaac grew up in an abusive household and turned to the streets when he was 16 because he felt safer on the streets than he did at home.  Issac connected with HOPE Coalition through the weekly support group "Renewed Hope" that HOPE staff facilitates at the jail for inmates who are struggling to turn their lives around.

"Dreams be the way"

A poem by Isaac

If inside of my mind, there is darkness;

then only my dreams may provide illumination.

For in my dreams, I see a story that is yet to be written.

In my dreams, I see the faces of those whom others have forgotten.

In my dreams, there is always a way to find the answer.

If inside my mind, there is sorrow

then only my dreams can provide consolation.

If inside my mind, I find myself lost

then, truly then, Dreams Be the Way.