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SSIHC volunteers cleaning up residential properties
Founded in 1991, Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition (SSIHC) has worked tirelessly to do their part in combating the homeless problem plaguing the Montgomery County Region. While Montgomery County is one of the wealthiest in the country, they still have over 1100 homeless. A heart wrenching 23 percent of the homeless are children. To make matters worse, a devastating 42 percent of those are under the age of 5. As the economic situation grows worse, those figures are growing at an astronomical rate. It is no wonder that the need for organizations such as Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition has increased.
SSIHC offers a truly unique program. Not only does it provide a transitional housing program, but they also provide professional case management, volunteer mentoring and a variety of other programs and resources. Those that enter the program, often have no home, little to no income and a poor work history. The individual or family is placed into one of 14 housing units while given the assistance, resources and opportunity to move into self sustainability. Clients can spend up to three years in the program. During this time they work with case managers on becoming empowered through education, job development and life skills.
In addition to the transitional housing program, Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition also offers a reentry program to provide housing to women who are reentering the community after being in prison. Since women must have housing in order to regain custody of their children, SSIHC’s reentry program affords them that opportunity. The organization also provides a mentoring program to families in the program. The volunteer mentors are an invaluable source of support. The mentors work with the family during the entire length of their stay until the family graduates from the program.
Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition graduates have many success stories to share. B.J. is one such example of a SSIHC success story. B.J. had previously spent six months in a pre-release program after spending five years in a West Virginia prison. After three interviews, she was selected to participate in the program. As a result of her selection, the program provided her a two bedroom apartment so that she could be reunited with her two children that she had not seen since her incarceration. The years that followed during her stay in the program brought many highs and lows, but in the end B.J. was victorious and now has a better life for her and her children as a result of the wonderfully caring volunteers and staff that make up the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition.
The Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition has plenty to be proud of. One was the formation of the Client Advisory Board. The Board was brought about by a need to dialog on how to best serve the needs of the organization’s clients. The Client Advisory Board consists, not only of representatives from other area agencies, but also graduates of the program. Another shining moment was the selection of Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition to the prestigious Catalogue of Philanthropy for 2009/2010.
Like all nonprofits, however, SSIHC has struggled in the current economy. Nonprofits are in steep competition trying to find funding for their organizations. Fewer grant dollars are available. Money provided by churches has also decreased in response to the harsh economic times.
Board Member, Dominique Smith, previously volunteered as mentor with Silver Spring Interfaith Coalition. Ms. Smith reflected on the current state of SSIHC in relation to the increased need for services by the homeless. “We are sad to see so many families in this situation.” Ms. Smith reflected, “We’re very happy to be able to provide a home to so many children in need, and even more critical mentoring programs and wrap around services”
How can you help Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition? Consider donating an item on their current wish list.
Wish List
- Gift cards to buy items to help make their new temporary housing a home or shop for groceries.
- New Linens
Visit their website to find out more information about the wonderful work that Silver Spring Interfaith Coalition is doing to combat homeless. Also visit their website to find out how you can assist SSIHC, subscribe to their newsletter or volunteer.
Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition
Comments
I am appreciative of having SSIHC featured in the Examiner but had some trouble with some of the imagery used to tell the story. Using phrases like "the homeless problem plaguing Montgomery County" brings me to tears. Parsing it out there are several ideological issues. The first is that categorizing "the homeless" sets up and us and them scenario. We are talking about homeless people, people are not defined by their circumstances and the circumstances that bring people to living in a homeless state do not fit into any neat stereotypical societal portrayals. The problem is not homeless people, the problems are a lack of affordable housing, unequal access to a decent education, racism and job opportunities to name just a few. Then we come to the point of associating homelessness with a plague. Even writing that the problem is a plague imbues the image with so many negative connotations in a society ready to find any reason to alienate or even hate people different than themselves
Thank you so much for your comment. That is a very interesting view of the article. I don't see it as an us or them. I see that with the increased unemployment rate and more and more people losing their homes, that homelessness has become an issue, absolutely nothing against the homeless, just that it's wonderful for organizations like SSIHC to help so many families in need.
And that something needs to be done to help the individuals, families and kids find housing. The problem has never been the homeless people themselves, it's the ever decreasing resources in many cases caused by the economic situation and in other cases there are other factors.
Dianne,thank you for your response to my comments. We are certainly in accord in our view of the situation. Having worked for some time with the homeless population and the views held by society I am aware of how important it is to use language that opens up the discussion. It is easy to employ our commonly used speach which is so often informed by negative societal norms without our knowledge. It is a challenge to carefully choose language that reminds us that we are all people first. That same sense applies to how we relate any one thing to another, hence my concern over words like combat, plague or blight. In essence there is a truth in such a description. However, to a person who carries a dim view of homeless people it is a trigger that perpetuates the negative. It might be helpful to use language such as "in addressing homelessness in Montgomery County" which conveys the same message but makes it possible to see a solution for our neighbors in need.
Thank you for a great article exposing the face of the homeless in Montgomery County and for shining a light on SSHIC's efforts to eradicate homelessness in the County.
It is clear that homelessness has an emotional impact everywhere. Your services appear to give people hope and allow them to reinvent themselves despite any hardship and/or unfortunate situations. Keep up the great work SSIHC!
I am a big fan of SSIHC. Politicians like to talk about "affordable housing", but they really mean for the lower middle class. Even "affordable" housing is out of reach for some. How can someone live on $9/ hr like BJ in the story above, or worse yet, on minimum wage? There but for the grace of God....
SSIHC is addressing a problem with no easy, quick fixes- it takes hard work, mutual respect, and the resources of the entire community to enable everyone (there's a dream!) to support themselves in such an expensive locale.
I appreciate having the awareness that your article exposes on the state of the homeless in Montgomery County. I am a supporter of SSHIC and it's good to know their efforts to combat homelessness in the County are working for the greater good.
As a former mentor at SSIHC I was particularly interested in your article. Thank you for giving a clear picture of SSIHC's work and bringing attention to this important mission of ending homelessness.
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