Homeless Persons Memorial Day: The Longest Night of the Year

December 21, Winter Solstice - The wet sky over Salvation Army's Berberian Shelter did not dampen the spirit of the occasion as people from all walks of life gathered to remember those who died on the streets in 2009. Wonderful entertainment flowed all evening from Downey High School's Knightengales, Nick McClellan, and Joseph Hamilton. The shelter buzzed as folks hustled through intake and got settled while volunteers prepared for the distribution of blankets, clothing and shoes, and from CHS volunteers, bags that included things like toothbrushes, razors, and deodorant. Off the Streets folks handed out almost 100 blankets collected during the blanket drive, some plastic bags, and United Way 2-1-1 reference cards. Harm reduction materials about Amphetamines and Hepatitis C were also available.

It was so wonderful seeing these young people interact with others in this way without any hesitation! They really jumped right in and in turn walked away from this experience, I believe, seeing through new eyes. Pretty cool. And although some of our young people were not able to attend the event, their hard work collecting and preparing the blankets beforehand is just as important! This was truly a team effort! By the end of the distribution, many people were provided with much needed support resources. You just don't know how important the simple things are until you don't have them.

After music and refreshments, the candlelight vigil quietly memorialized those who died on the streets this year. The names of those known to have passed scrolled projecting on the shelter's wall, while a last minute volunteer played her flute softly and two students read the names aloud. The event closed with a stirring rendition of "Temporary Home" performed by Samantha Meroney. Just beautiful.

This is the 4th year of the HPMD with this group, but the first time being held at Salvation Army. Organizers and volunteers plan to meet regularly throughout 2010 to tighten up the logistics for next year at this location. This year's event was sponsored by Behavioral Health & Recovery Services and Golden Valley Health Center. If you would like to get involved, donate items, or sit on the planning committee contact Kimberlee Hamilton at khamilto@stancounty.com.

*Event* Community BBQ, Training, & Clean-Up Nov 29 @ Mellis Park

Off the Streets Project is working in collaboration with Modesto Brown Berets and will be out in the community cleaning up, reaching out, and working together to make a difference. Check it out:

• Sunday November 29, 1pm-5pm
• @ Mellis Park in Modesto
• BBQ, Free Music, Open Mic
• Know Your Rights Info & Training
• Used Needle and Trash Clean-Up

Please come out and join us! It promises to be a great afternoon.

Props to Tom and Bianca of MBB for organizing this event...

Off the Streets Gains Its First Teen Volunteers! How EXCITING!!!

We are proud to welcome our first two teen volunteers to the Off the Streets family!

They represent both Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties and are really eager to get to work. The teens will be focusing on media, outreach and education, administrative assistance, and event planning. This is so huge to us here at Off the Streets! As their adult allies, we appreciate their willingness to engage in their community and learn something new. They totally kick and we can't wait to see what they accomplish, not only here at Off the Streets, but in their lives!

All of our teen volunteers are given opportunities to:

• Learn a variety of new skills
• Be exposed to and connected with practical and up to date information, relevant research, other community members and leaders, and a variety of expert-level resources throughout the world
• Collaborate within the community in a variety of ways
• Attend valuable trainings - generally at no cost
• Perhaps most importantly, young people will be encouraged to share their already developed skills and interests in a meaningful way
• And more! The possibilities are endless ... it just depends on who comes out!

Volunteer experiences with Off the Streets also look good on resumes and college applications, and sound good in an interview. We offer really strong volunteer opportunities - plus we have a lot of fun! Seriously, check it out!!!

• If you or a young person you know is interested in finding out more please contact us!!! You won't regret it!!
• offthestreetsproject@yahoo.com
• Become a fan on facebook from this site, in the left hand column. And suggest us to friends!

Tell Us Something, Anything.... We're Listening!!!

One of the most important things to come from the work of Off the Streets is the valuable 'snapshot' we will be able to formulate of Stanislaus County. We intend to take away wonderful insight over time as we continually learn more and more about various aspects of the community, our issues, and the unique people who exist here.

A critical aspect of this journey we are on at Off the Streets is talking directly with people about their life experiences. People from all over - not just drug users and treatment professionals. So many others have so much to say. We are finding that folks just want the chance to talk for a minute (or write, or draw, or sing!). If you want to share it, we want to hear it (or see it)! We want to know your side - things you have felt, heard, or seen, people you know (names omitted), how you have been affected or have seen others affected. It could be insight from your job, or your neighborhood, within your family or from within yourself. Anything at all you have to offer and feel comfortable sharing is valuable to the Off the Streets team's complete understanding of the circumstances in Stanislaus County. We really do need you. Some of you may even be interested in speaking engagements or telling your story to young people - we can arrange that too - just let us know!

Send us an email for more information if you are interested in sharing with us! We would love the opportunity to learn from you. It is a key piece of the puzzle actually. Sure, we at Off the Streets are here to educate and promote awareness for others - but you have something real to offer us too and we value that chance to hear from you firsthand. The more we can all learn from each other the better. Don't you agree??

For more details, please contact us at offthestreetsproject@yahoo.com!!!

Volunteers Needed - It's a Good Gig!!

What is Off the Streets Project? That is a good question. We are many things! Off the Streets is a volunteer-based action team-slash-think tank-slash-group of community educators, neighborhood beautifiers, health professionals, and experienced social advocates, among other things. We are all very passionate about public health, safety, economic stress, and overall community well-being. Those who have come forward CARE about Stanislaus County, have something to SAY, and want something real to DO to make a difference. The great thing is that there are a lot of really wonderful community members, groups, and organizations involved so far (thanks to all of you!) We are a wide variety of people sitting at this table with unique perspectives and connections brought with us that are extremely valuable to this collaborative process. As a collective we understand that prevention works. We all believe strongly in promoting empowerment, resiliency, and coping skills not only in individuals, but in the circles that support them. And together we are now demanding our leaders to address the serious issues of syringe access and disposal in our community.

Thank you to those who have already stepped up to volunteer!! You can do as much or as little, be as involved as you wish. Some of us will do more than others, many will do little other than cheer us on. That is ok too. Whatever you can do in any way, no matter how big or small is much appreciated. We are so excited for more people to jump on board! The more who speak the louder our voice.

These are some of the areas that volunteers are needed to fill:

• Advocacy
• Research / Needs Assessment
• Identifying Allies
• Clean-Up and Beautification Crews
• Media (Video and Photo) /Web/Graphics/Marketing (Flyers and Brochures), etc
• Artists and Musicians
• Administrative Duties / Meeting Minutes, Coordination
• Community Outreach / Education / Community Engagement Projects
• Presentations / Speaking Engagements
• Letter Writing / Making Phone Calls
• Attending Community Meetings and Special Events / Tabling
• Speaking to the Media
• Event Planning / Fundraising
• ...and other areas that will come up as we go!

We all have unique skills and strengths so if you think you can help in some way just let us know! If you wanna do something, we'll find something for you to do. We have trainings, meetings, and some other really fun stuff coming up so we will keep you posted!

For more information or to get involved PLEASE CONTACT US at offthestreetsproject@yahoo.com or find us on Facebook.