Utah's Chronic Homeless Rate Drops 91% When It Gives the Needy Housing2:30
By the end of 2015, the chronically homeless population of Utah may be virtually gone. And the secret is quite simple:
Give homes to the homeless.
"We call it housing first, employment second," said Lloyd Pendleton, director of Utah's Homeless Task Force.
Even Pendleton used to think trying to eradicate homelessness using such an approach was a foolish idea.
"I said: 'You guys must be smoking something. This is totally unrealistic,'" Pendleton said.
But the results are hard to dispute.
In 2005, Utah was home to 1,932 chronically homeless. By April 2015, there were only 178 — a 91 percent drop statewide.
"It's
a philosophical shift in how we go about it," Pendleton said. "You put
them in housing first ... and then help them begin to deal with the
issues that caused them to be homeless."
Chronically homeless
persons — those living on the streets for more than a year, or for four
times in three years, and have a debilitating condition — make up 10
percent of Utah's homeless population but take up more than 50 percent
of the state's resources for the homeless.
The humble sergeant thought nobody would know about the kind act.
Kimberly YamAssociate Editor, Good News, The Huffington Post
Posted: 09/10/2015 12:21 PM EDT
When he saw a man in need, this humble cop decided to help without expecting any recognition in return.
Sgt. Brendan Hagarty of the Chicago Police Department in Illinois was having lunch at a Chipotle restaurant in early September when he saw a man picking through the trash outside, Hagarty told The Huffington Post. The officer tapped on the window to get the man's attention, ushered him inside and bought him food.
The interaction was caught on camera by Rachel Mitchell, who posted it to Facebook. It later went viral when a country music radio station, as well as Hagarty's own department shared the posts. The pictures have received more than 10,000 shares and over 26,000 likes on the police department's Facebook page alone.
019th District Town Hall – Sergeant Hagarty
Leading by Example
A quote posted on social media, Facebook…
Rachel Mitchell – "So today I saw something that made my day. This Chicago Police officer was sitting at a window seat at Chipotle, outside the window he saw a homeless man digging through the trash. The cop knocked on the window, getting the homeless man’s attention. Through the glass he asked the man if he was hungry. The man nodded yes, and the cop motioned for him to c...See More
Filet mignon accompanied by sides of asparagus and a yucca purée.
Golden fish fillets in a lemon butter reduction. And for dessert? A
mouth-watering fruit salad a la créme de passion fruit.
That's
what's cooking in 8-year-old Arthur Gonzaga's kitchen -- a young chef
from Minas Gerais, Brazil who has recently taken to the Internet to
share his latest culinary adventures with the masses.
Arthur,
who was diagnosed with leukemia in August of 2013, spent the latter
half of that year in and out of the hospital due to his treatment and
recovery process. During this time, in which Arthur was forced to spend
Christmas Eve in the emergency room of São Paulo's A.C. Camargo Cancer
Center, the young boy's father, Renato Gonzaga, and stepmother, Priscila
Inserra, entertained the idea of creating something beautiful and
positive for their son to focus on.
The result was Arthur's very own cooking show. He posted short segments to YouTube where Arthur both cooked and shared his delicious recipes. The family fittingly titled the series "Arthur Gourmand."
After
celebrating the new year at home, Arthur began cooking in the kitchen
of a close family friend who opened up her house to the young chef and
currently acts as the project's art producer, Inserra told The
Huffington Post. Gonzaga has made many cameos in the videos, acting as
his son's sous chef and passing Arthur whatever ingredients he needs,
while actively showing support for his incredible passion and talent.
She
may not make it to the basketball and volleyball games of her beloved
high school teams, but a teenager with a rare type of terminal cancer is
making sure they will play in style.
Courtesy Heather Glover
Jayci
Glover, right, and a friend share a happy moment. The terminally-ill
teen loves mangoes so a local business created a mango smoothie named
for her.
When approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation
recently, Jayci Glover, a 13-year-old who lives in Kanab, Utah, simply
asked for a new scoreboard for the local high school, where the students
and athletes have embraced the girl and kept her spirits up during a
difficult year.
“She just decided that she didn’t really need
anything, that she has everything she wants and wanted to give something
back to all of her friends and the local community that’s done so much
to support her,” her mother, Heather Glover, told TODAY Moms.
Her mother said the family wasn’t surprised at all that Jayci’s would think of somebody else when making her wish.
“We
had suspected all along that she was going to choose something for her
two little sisters or for her friends… She can never think of anything
she wants – for Christmas or birthdays.”
Make-A-Wish is paying
$7,500 towards the cost of the new scoreboard, which will cost $20,000,
said Karen Kelly, who is Jayci’s great aunt and works at the school. The
plans are to put Jayci’s name on the scoreboard so she is always there
in spirit and cheering on the teams.
The girl, who was diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, is at home on hospice care now after spending much of last year in and out of the hospital, Jayci’s mom said.
“There
just aren’t any more things they can try. We’ve tried every proven
lymphoma treatment that there is and her cancer continued to grow
through every single one of them,” Glover said.
Courtesy Karen Kelly
The Make-A-Wish check was presented during a ceremony at the local high school on Feb. 12.
“We
just reached a decision… to just come home and try to let her be in her
home with her two little sisters for as long as we can. We don’t know
how long that will be. We don’t think it will be too long.” Read More Here
.....
Hero teen, 13, with terminal cancer GIVES AWAY her Make-A-Wish to
her school to buy new $7,500 scoreboard rather than enjoy a dream trip
Jayci Glover, 13, is fighting a rare form of terminal lymphoma which has caused her to gain over 160lbs in the past year
When
the brave student received a $7,500 gift from Make-A-Wish she decided
to give it to her high school rather than spend it on herself
The check was presented before a school basketball game earlier this month and the team wore 'Fight Like Jayci' T-shirts
Jayci left hospital for the last time on February 12 and received a hero's welcome in her hometown of Kanab, Utah
By
Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:
10:54 EST, 20 February 2014
| UPDATED:
17:23 EST, 20 February 2014
A Utah teenager with terminal cancer
has made an incredibly selfless gesture after donating her $7,500
Make-A-Wish foundation gift to her high school. Jayci
Glover, 13, has been fighting a rare form of terminal lymphoma for over
a year, which has caused the previously healthy young girl to gain over 160lbs. When
Make-A-Wish asked Jayci what she would like to do with the money,
rather than ask for a trip to theme park, or a chance to meet a
celebrity or sports star, she decided to gave her gift to Kanab High
School to pay a new scoreboard for the gym.
Jayci Glover, 13, has been fighting a rare form
of terminal lymphoma for over a year, which has caused the previously
healthy young girl to gain over 160lbs
Make-A-Wish presented Jayci Glover's $7,500 check to Kanab High School before a basketball game on February 12
The foundation presented a $7,500 check to the school, in Jayci's name, before a basketball game on February 12, reports Yahoo News. The
boy's team also paid tribute to their benefactor with 'Fight Like
Jayci' T-shirts and every player also gave her a rose and a hug or kiss
before the game.
This post was first published on Glennon Doyle Melton's blog, Momastery, on Jan. 30. In less than a day it was shared more than 1 million times. We wanted to share it with you.
A few weeks ago, I went into Chase’s class for tutoring.
I’d
emailed Chase’s teacher one evening and said, “Chase keeps telling me
that this stuff you’re sending home is math – but I’m not sure I believe
him. Help, please.” She emailed right back and said, “No problem! I can
tutor Chase after school anytime.” And I said, “No, not him. Me. He gets it.Help me.”
And that’s how I ended up standing at a chalkboard in an empty fifth
grade classroom staring at rows of shapes that Chase’s teacher kept
referring to as “numbers.”
Little Moon Photography
Author Glennon Doyle Melton with her family; her conversation with her son's teacher sparked this post.
I
stood a little shakily at the chalkboard while Chase’s teacher sat
behind me, perched on her desk, using a soothing voice to try to help me
understand the “new way we teach long division.” Luckily for me, I
didn’t have to unlearn much because I never really understood the “old
way we taught long division.” It took me a solid hour to complete one
problem, but l could tell that Chase’s teacher liked me anyway. She used
to work with NASA, so obviously we have a whole lot in common.
Afterwards,
we sat for a few minutes and talked about teaching children and what a
sacred trust and responsibility it is. We agreed that subjects like math
and reading are the least important things that are learned in a
classroom. We talked about shaping little hearts to become contributors
to a larger community – and we discussed our mutual dream that those
communities might be made up of individuals who are Kind and Brave above
all.
And then she told me this.
Every Friday afternoon
Chase’s teacher asks her students to take out a piece of paper and write
down the names of four children with whom they’d like to sit the
following week. The children know that these requests may or may not be
honored. She also asks the students to nominate one student whom they
believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week. All ballots
are privately submitted to her.
And every single Friday
afternoon, after the students go home, Chase’s teacher takes out those
slips of paper, places them in front of her and studies them. She looks
for patterns. Who is not getting requested by anyone else? Who doesn’t even know who to request? Who never gets noticed enough to be nominated? Who had a million friends last week and none this week?
You
see, Chase’s teacher is not looking for a new seating chart or
“exceptional citizens.” Chase’s teacher is looking for lonely children.
She’s looking for children who are struggling to connect with other
children. She’s identifying the little ones who are falling through the
cracks of the class’s social life. She is discovering whose gifts are
going unnoticed by their peers. And she’s pinning down — right away —
who’s being bullied and who is doing the bullying.
I’m so excited to say that I was just recently encouraged to
write a short story about my journey into motherhood for possible
publication in a pro-life project benefiting a women’s health clinic
with the Gabriel Network, in Baltimore, Maryland. The project was
created to encourage young women to choose life for their child,
regardless of their circumstances. I’m so flattered to be even a small
part of such a meaningful endeavor. What could be more important than
encouraging the preservation of life.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”Psalm 139:13
.....Excerpt.....
Treasures of the Heart
Treasures of the Heart
My
submission is presently being considered for publication with
CausePub.com in Jillian Amodio’s book “New Life Within”. I say
“considered” because the final stories chosen will be determined by
votes. The more votes I get the better my chances of being published. So
if you are willing, I’d love it if you would read my story
and if you like it, I’d be honored if you would vote for my story and
ask a few of your friends to do so as well. And perhaps they’ll tell
two friends…and they’ll tell two friends…and so on and so on.
My husband and I were what everyone called “meant to be”. What started as
friendship developed into a beautiful love story and I married the love
of my life. That being said our life was far from perfect but it was
ours to go through together and here we are 17 years later. Two years
into our marriage we felt we were ready to start a family. Did I say
ready? Actually I was petrified but felt my clock ticking away.
I was 32 when I got pregnant with my first child. I was excited and
nervous all at once realizing that I was standing at the threshold of
motherhood. Was I ready? I had my doubts because although I was in my
thirties I still had moments when I felt like a kid myself. I had heard
so many horror stories about pregnancy and painful deliveries that I was
fearful of the unknown. As my pregnancy progressed I was constantly
sick to the point that instead of gaining weight I had actually lost 15
pounds. Forget morning sickness, I had all day sickness. You would think
that I was miserable but the truth is that I felt the complete
opposite. Yes my body was changing and nausea did take over but the
moment I felt that life that was growing inside me moving, kicking all I
could focus on was how amazing I felt. I hadn’t met her yet but had
already fallen completely in love with her. Being pregnant was the most
amazing feeling I had ever had. There was nothing to compare it to
because it was so unique. I loved being pregnant so much so that on a
particular night I started having contractions and had a bit of a panic
attack because I wasn’t ready to stop being pregnant. I didn’t want to
give up that beautiful feeling. I think that somewhere in my mind I felt
like I was doing something SO important, something that would make a
difference. I had never felt that important before. It turned out to be
Braxton Hicks and I was so happy to know that I could be pregnant for a
little bit longer.
A few weeks later contractions came again this
time I was ready and so eager to meet my baby. On December 18th 1998 my
beautiful daughter was born and I was never the same. How can you
describe a heart so full that it overflows? I was now in that club, you
know that one where you get to say “you’ll understand when you’re a
mom”. It’s so true! The minute I held her for the first time I
experienced an overwhelming flood of emotions that I had never
experienced before. There she was with her red puffy cheeks and sweet
trusting eyes and she was mine. True I had to share her with my husband
but she was mine. I was in heaven. What was it like? Well, I was
determined to breastfeed and therefore did not sleep. This little 6 lb
baby girl always wanted to feed. I didn’t know what I was doing but
trudged through until one morning I was pumping breast milk and wondered
why the milk was pink. My inexperience with latching on the baby was
showing. I’ll spare you the gory details so let’s just say that I was
raw and in so much pain but could not, would not give up. I was
devastated to think that I wouldn’t be able to nurse her if I started
giving her formula while I healed. God knows our limits and He knows our
needs. A few weeks later I was ready to try again and she latched on
like a pro. God is good and I felt the blessing. She nursed until she
was almost 9 months old.
As she grew her father and I enjoyed
every moment. She has always been our tender hearted warrior loving
everyone and always willing to serve others. She truly has a beautiful
heart. What a blessing she has been.
Fast forward four years later
as we decide that it’s time for another baby or at least time to start
talking about it. I am a planner and need time to get used to changes so
when we had just barely started considering another child and I
suspected that I may already be pregnant I panicked. I bought a
pregnancy test in order to remove any doubt. I remember that day as if
it were yesterday. As I waited for the results I prayed and asked God
for a false alarm. I didn’t feel like I could love another child as much
as I loved my daughter. I couldn’t fathom that idea. When the results
were ready I was afraid to look but mustered up the courage anyway. When
I saw the blue negative sign I dropped to my knees, put my head down
and cried a deep painful cry as if I had lost a child. At that very
moment I knew I was so wrong. I knew then and there that I wanted
another child and that there was so much more love to be given.
This
time around it was just not happening. We tried for a little over a
year and nothing. I started feeling as though it was my fault because I
put it off for so long or because back then I wasn’t sure if I wanted to
do it at all. I was stressing myself out in a big way. Once I finally
let go and relaxed that’s when at long last it happened. We were elated!
The pregnancy this time around was almost identical I lost another 15
pounds before I ever gained an ounce. That quickly changed after the
first 6 months. I enjoyed it just the same. This one was a “live one” I
thought to myself. I remember being in church as they played the worship
music and feeling my belly move to the beat. He’s been dancing ever
since. I can’t seem to keep that boy still. He’s a character and just
the thought of him makes me smile. My gorgeous boy was born on January
22, 2003. Everything was great at the hospital and luckily this time
around nursing was a cinch for a pro like me.
- See more at: http://causepub.com/treasures-heart/#sthash.wavDb7cw.dpuf
My
husband and I were what everyone called “meant to be”. What started as
friendship developed into a beautiful love story and I married the love
of my life. That being said our life was far from perfect but it was
ours to go through together and here we are 17 years later. Two years
into our marriage we felt we were ready to start a family. Did I say
ready? Actually I was petrified but felt my clock ticking away.
I
was 32 when I got pregnant with my first child. I was excited and
nervous all at once realizing that I was standing at the threshold of
motherhood. Was I ready? I had my doubts because although I was in my
thirties I still had moments when I felt like a kid myself. I had heard
so many horror stories about pregnancy and painful deliveries that I was
fearful of the unknown. As my pregnancy progressed I was constantly
sick to the point that instead of gaining weight I had actually lost 15
pounds. Forget morning sickness, I had all day sickness. You would think
that I was miserable but the truth is that I felt the complete
opposite. Yes my body was changing and nausea did take over but the
moment I felt that life that was growing inside me moving, kicking all I
could focus on was how amazing I felt. I hadn’t met her yet but had
already fallen completely in love with her. Being pregnant was the most
amazing feeling I had ever had. There was nothing to compare it to
because it was so unique. I loved being pregnant so much so that on a
particular night I started having contractions and had a bit of a panic
attack because I wasn’t ready to stop being pregnant. I didn’t want to
give up that beautiful feeling. I think that somewhere in my mind I felt
like I was doing something SO important, something that would make a
difference. I had never felt that important before. It turned out to be
Braxton Hicks and I was so happy to know that I could be pregnant for a
little bit longer. Read More Here
My
husband and I were what everyone called “meant to be”. What started as
friendship developed into a beautiful love story and I married the love
of my life. That being said our life was far from perfect but it was
ours to go through together and here we are 17 years later. Two years
into our marriage we felt we were ready to start a family. Did I say
ready? Actually I was petrified but felt my clock ticking away.
I
was 32 when I got pregnant with my first child. I was excited and
nervous all at once realizing that I was standing at the threshold of
motherhood. Was I ready? I had my doubts because although I was in my
thirties I still had moments when I felt like a kid myself. I had heard
so many horror stories about pregnancy and painful deliveries that I was
fearful of the unknown. As my pregnancy progressed I was constantly
sick to the point that instead of gaining weight I had actually lost 15
pounds. Forget morning sickness, I had all day sickness. You would think
that I was miserable but the truth is that I felt the complete
opposite. Yes my body was changing and nausea did take over but the
moment I felt that life that was growing inside me moving, kicking all I
could focus on was how amazing I felt. I hadn’t met her yet but had
already fallen completely in love with her. Being pregnant was the most
amazing feeling I had ever had. There was nothing to compare it to
because it was so unique. I loved being pregnant so much so that on a
particular night I started having contractions and had a bit of a panic
attack because I wasn’t ready to stop being pregnant. I didn’t want to
give up that beautiful feeling. I think that somewhere in my mind I felt
like I was doing something SO important, something that would make a
difference. I had never felt that important before. It turned out to be
Braxton Hicks and I was so happy to know that I could be pregnant for a
little bit longer.
A few weeks later contractions came again this
time I was ready and so eager to meet my baby. On December 18th 1998 my
beautiful daughter was born and I was never the same. How can you
describe a heart so full that it overflows? I was now in that club, you
know that one where you get to say “you’ll understand when you’re a
mom”. It’s so true! The minute I held her for the first time I
experienced an overwhelming flood of emotions that I had never
experienced before. There she was with her red puffy cheeks and sweet
trusting eyes and she was mine. True I had to share her with my husband
but she was mine. I was in heaven. What was it like? Well, I was
determined to breastfeed and therefore did not sleep. This little 6 lb
baby girl always wanted to feed. I didn’t know what I was doing but
trudged through until one morning I was pumping breast milk and wondered
why the milk was pink. My inexperience with latching on the baby was
showing. I’ll spare you the gory details so let’s just say that I was
raw and in so much pain but could not, would not give up. I was
devastated to think that I wouldn’t be able to nurse her if I started
giving her formula while I healed. God knows our limits and He knows our
needs. A few weeks later I was ready to try again and she latched on
like a pro. God is good and I felt the blessing. She nursed until she
was almost 9 months old.
As she grew her father and I enjoyed
every moment. She has always been our tender hearted warrior loving
everyone and always willing to serve others. She truly has a beautiful
heart. What a blessing she has been.
- See more at: http://causepub.com/treasures-heart/#sthash.wavDb7cw.dpuf
Author/Illustrator of "Bedtime for Meaghan", wife & crafty mother of two great kids. Lover of drawing and creating beauty.
Website: http://time2refuel.wordpress.com/
- See more at: http://causepub.com/treasures-heart/#sthash.wavDb7cw.dpuf
