DurhamCares

2012 Total Operating Budget: $235,000

Q1 Results:

As of 03/31/2012, reporting has not yet been provided.

What

Durham IHN seeks to address the immediate and ongoing needs of homeless families by mobilizing Durham congregations and people of faith to help families move toward residential stability and self-sufficiency.

Why

In 1993, as the homeless population in Durham began to include growing numbers of families, a group of people from several congregations met to consider how the broader faith community might respond. After reflecting on the situation, the Interfaith Hospitality Network model that was established in New Jersey in 1986 was chosen as a proven, relatively low cost way to meet the emergency needs of families in Durham. DIHN began official operation on January 9, 1994 using houses of worship for overnight shelter, the generosity of congregation members for meals and transportation, and existing social services and programs for resource and referral.

Case management is a critical component of the program. A case manager provides services to virtually all family members, from adults to school age children to babies. These services include helping the parents ensure their children have the proper medical treatment, lining up daycare, registering for school and getting tutors as needed, counseling on parenting and interpersonal communications, and of course, helping parents with the gamut of job-search skills, getting them into school as needed, all ultimately with the goal of gaining employment and being able to get into and retain permanent housing.

Since inception, DIHN has tried to serve 3 families or a maximum of 10-12 people in the “rotation.” Due to the significant increase in homeless families beginning in mid-2009 there at times have been 4 families in the rotation, often pushing the 12-person limit. In the fall of 2009, DIHN also renovated space underneath its “dayhouse” where an additional small family can stay (apart from the rotation), again with the intent of trying to address the critical shortage of emergency shelter for families. One of DIHN’s strategic objectives, as voted upon by the board last summer, is to add another rotation in order to serve another set of families.

Shelter: Food and shelter is provided by local congregations as they open the doors to their places of worship and provide hospitality as they would to any neighbor.

Case management: Case management is provided to each family. Needs are assessed upon entry and an initial plan is set up and tracked. Adjustments are made as necessary. In addition to the primary goals of employment and permanent housing, DIHN also works with many families on childcare, children’s school placement, medical issues, mental health care, healthy lifestyles, adult education, life skills, and of course ensuring they are receiving all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Aftercare: Aftercare is available for up to a year after the family leaves DIHN. Prior to August 1st, aftercare was almost entirely based on inbound requests from the families to their case manager when they were having some kind of emergency. Beginning August 1, 2010, with the help of a grant from Durham County, DIHN now has a formal “IHN Alumni Support Program” where an additional part time case manager proactively works with families after they leave IHN. Additionally, DIHN has begun rolling out “Circles of Support,” a city-wide initiative where small faith groups essentially adopt a formerly homeless household for the first year after they move into permanent housing to support and mentor them.

Catherine Pleil

Executive Director

Catherine Pleil joined IBM in 1979 after getting her Masters in Math at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. She worked in a variety of senior leadership roles at IBM ranging from production control/procurement to finance to software development to business development, with over 20 years in management. During those years at IBM, she volunteered for 10 years with IHN, including serving on the Board of Directors from 2000-2002 (including as president in 2002).  She served (and continues to serve) in a variety of other organizations including on the Social Justice Committee of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and on the board of a private international trust which funds NGO’s in Trinidad, Tobago, Portugal and Madeira. These experiences together with God’s guidance led her to the decision to retire from IBM and go into social justice work full time as a second career. She brings to the organization strategic planning, financial management, and program and project management skills.

Carol Bailey-Cannady

Case Manager at IHN

Carol Bailey-Cannady has a broad background that makes her the perfect person for this job. As a young woman, Carol went through struggles that give her a perspective which brings her immediate credibility with IHN guests.  She has been working at IHN for over three years. and prior to coming to IHN, she worked as a housing specialist for the Durham Housing Authority and brought tremendous insights from that job to this role. She has worked three years as a tax specialist; she was the president of the Student Government Association at Durham Tech; she has worked as a nanny and as a locksmith - all sorts of interesting jobs showing initiative and fortitude. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Ashford University in March of 2010, and is currently working on her Master’s.

Durham_Interfaith_Hospitality_Network_2011_Final_Report.pdf