How to Find Services For the Homeless When You are Single, With a Young Child
74The Homelessness Emergency
A single mom with a young child posted a question about finding shelter and other assistance as a HubPages Question recently on February 20, 2011. However, the question disappeared. Because another Hubber with a young child asked specifically about Homeless Services in Wood County, Wisconsin approximately two weeks ago, I can answer both questions here at once. The information below can lead seekers of social services to the correct county and non-profit agencies in their hometowns.
Emergency Assistance
If you are a homeless single parent family, you are in an emergency situation. You need to find shelter and food for yourself and your children and in winter, shelter is even a greater priority.
Wherever you are located, find the local social services referral network, which has been called CalVac, FirstLink, Helping Hands, and other names in Franklin County Ohio. If you have a cell phone, can borrow one, or can get to a payphone (which are dwindling in numbers in the USA), dial O for Operator, answer the question about your city and state, then ask for the number of the social services referral network in your city. If the operator does not understand, tell him or her that you have children and are homeless, are in trouble, and need help. Ask what emergency agency can help you. You should receive a toll-free number to the social services network. Call them and ask for help.
If you receive no help from the telephone operator, go to the local police station or fire station and ask for help in finding shelter. If that fails, go to the local churches, synagogues, or other houses of faith. Many now lock their doors during the day because of crime, but their offices are usually open Monday - Friday daytime hours and services may be held on Sunday morning and/or evening, Saturday evening, Friday evening, or Wednesday evening. Catholic churches often hold the most services, including morning mass early every morning and/or each evening, with several on Sundays.
Another avenue of help is the local public library. The staff should be willing to help you find phone numbers and addresses of homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters, if that fits your need. They should also have a phone that you can use. Targets of domestic violence oftne decide to leave or become homeless suddenly for another reason. The Dayton, Ohio main libtrary has in the past been famous for a huge bulletin board in the main lobby that lists all the helping associations and their phone numbers.
If all this fails, then try a local hospital or doctor's office.
If everything fails, call the local newspaper and TV stations and report your problem. Media attention often helps.
SPECIFIC ASSISTANCE
Homeless shelters in your city:
- Shelters for Homeless single women
- Shelters for Homeless single women with children
- Shelters for Homeless couples and Homless Men with children
- Shelters for Homeless men
- Domestic Violence Shelters (DVS)
Once you are in some sort of shelter or safe house, social services connections can be made or continued in order to help you obtain long-term housing, food, income, job training, childcare and other supportive services.
HOTLINES
- Where to Get Help for Domestic Violence
Some of the same Hotlines and other resources will help with homeless families. - How to Escape an Abusive Relationship.
Have you seen red flags? -- Do know someone that is being abused? Are you being abused? Abuse is about CONTROL - verbally, physically, sexually, emotionally, financially, spiritually... Find out more... - Why Should the Homeless Be Allowed Cell Phones? - Ra...
Since the 1980s, social workers have often repeated that a large portion of the American population is only one paycheck away from homelessness. Current wisdom asserts that everyone should have in savings, at 6 months operating expenses for monthly l
Mead Wildlife Area in Wood County
Wood County, Wisconsin
The agencies, non-prifit organizations, and services listed here should be available in all US States and most counties.
In isolated areas of the country an din lense densely populated areas, several counties may be served by only one office, making it difficult to find and receive help.
.
Social Services - Wisconsin Rapids
Wood County Courthouse
400 Market Street; 3rd Floor, Room 312
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm M-F; Phone: (715) 421-8600
24-Hour (Crisis Intervention): (715) 421-2345
24-Hour (Law Enforcement): (715) 421-8700
Social Services - Marshfield
Marshfield City Hall
4th Floor, Suite 404
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm M-F; Phone: (715) 387-6374
24-Hour (Crisis Intervention): (715) 384-5555
24-Hour (Law Enforcement): (715) 384-5345
SALVATION ARMY: Rosemary Huber
140 11th Avenue South; Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
715-424-2581
RUNAWAY SHELTER: The Family Crisis Center
1616 W. River Drive; Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-345-6511 or TOLL FREE 800-472-3377
Shirley's House of Hope: PO Box 207, Marshfield - (715) 486-9000
Wisconsin Rapids Homeless: 340 14th Street South, Wisconsin Rapids - (715) 423-7771
Marshfield Clinic, Wood County
Additional Help On HubPages
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Wonderful and informative Hub Patty . . .
I trust the information will somehow find its way to the person(s) who originally asked the heartbreaking question . . . In a nation of such abundance, homelessness for those who just need a helping hand up out of a current situation should be readily available . . .
To those who find themselves in homeless situations, Patty gives good and sound advise above . . .
To those who help provide services for the homeless, thank you for your dedication . . .
Blessings always, EarthAngel . . .
In our program int he late 1990s, a homeless Veteran, his wife, and their daughter lived in a leaky camper without power in the back of a small park. A team of people were able to help get them housing, hospital care for him, a job for his wife,and an art school scholarship for the daughter.
In another case, a single mom of 3 kids walked them home from school after going to GED school herself and working half a day, only to find the landlord had changed the locks and rented her half-double and all its contents to another family - one that did not need subsidized rent. This was illegal, but it took months to correct. The kids finally went to Grandma's home and the lady went through the homeless channels, but her studies were interrupted. She was so embarrassed, it hurt her and us.
Most of the folks were were able to help now work and pay taxes, feel safe, and are happy.
Surviving as a homeless person can be very difficult. As we have seen there are endless amount of opportunity's if you can properly research it. One can use local library if you do not have a computer available. There is a national cell phone company that give free cell phones to people and up loads minutes each month.
Great comments Patty,
Me, too . . . Just recently I hosted a fund-raising event for 16 local churches working under the same umbrella . . . It was so cold and stormy but we had over 250 people in attendance . . .
Late that same night as we were cleaning up a really thin mother and her three toddlers with barely a stitch of clothing between them wandered in . . .
The kids were filthy, screaming, cold and hungry . . . The mother was higher than a kite . . . We had plenty of food left over from the day and the church was warm . . . We found donated clothes that had been put aside in a closet for an upcoming church sale to keep them all warm . . .
We then started looking for resources that could help them . . . It was late and all the shelters were completely full . . . We called around to the other churches we know that open their doors on really cold stormy nights for the homeless . . . All full . . .
It was actually a local non-profit halfway house that stepped up and took them all in . . . The mother, barely 21 years old, got clean . . . She and her FIVE children (she only had the three smallest with her that night)are back together and she is working while 'working her program . . .'
Turns out she was the victim of domestic violence and had no other family or friends who could help her in the concrete way she needed at that moment . . .
We all need to do our part . . .
YOU dear Patty, do MORE than your part . . . You are the BEST . . .
Blessings always, EarthAngel . . .
i love your comment
Very Good Hub with good resource info. I worked many years as a social worker and met many people homeless due to no fault of their own. While driving in the USA I gave rides to many homeless: War Vets, Mentally ill,and simply unemployed. The saddest are the homeless children who really want to go to school but can't since their parents are busy trying to find shelter.
A mom with 5 children at age 21, abused and high. What a world it is! It was Providence that she wandered into your church, Earth Angel. God bless the halfway house staff as well.
This reminds me of the dear arthritic lady in her 60s, held captive in her own basement by a daughter n law and son. Barely able to crawl up steps, she took his car and went to a dept store, stole a large camera to get help from the judicial system. I had to write the psych report and the younger coupe was punished legally. The lady went to Arizona to her own daughter, returned to work for another 10 years, and lost most of the symptoms of arthritis. She's still happy. What a world.
marshacanada - That was a great service you provided, a miracle really considering also the danger of crime on the highways here in many places.
This is a true social emergency. Your Hub is very useful to who needs help. Thanks for your work. It is very important work togheter for a better World.
This hub touches my emotions in a major way.
It seems to me, Patty, that those who become homeless are least able to do what is necessary to find the help they need. Your hub is an excellent resource for those who can find their way to a computer. I hope this valuable information gets to everyone who needs it. Thanks.
Thank you very much William!
sincerely25 - thanks for posting; your Hubber score is really rising. Congratulations!
fucsia - Thanks very much for reading and posting. We can hope that everyone that needs it sees the page.
Patty, I wrote a hub about my encounter some months ago with a homeless little girl in New Orleans. The whole ordeal made me so distraught I could barely think. I could have used this fantastic resource. voted up and useful
Homeless in New Orleans, and the city still rebuilding after Katrina. how awful for the little girl - then or at any other time. Imagine wandering the streets along at a young age - I'm shuddering just imagining it.
I wish more places would podt helping addresses and numbers in clear view like the Dayton OH library has done. The Dayton bus station also had some of the numbers, especially for children and teens. I oftne wonder that, if we have the help, why is it so hard to find in some places..
It is a sad deal for someone being homeless. I feel for the teens that are kicked out or abandoned. It seems they are the ones falling through the cracks.
Great hub!
Exactly right, tupoague; thanks for posting.
Fay - I shared the 3-part Hub story on Twitter. Hope it gets some hits.
Oh Patty, this is such an important hub I love the way you look for ways to help other. The best thing is for them to get a case worker that they always work with She is so in-tuned to the community. I rate this way up love & peace darski
Great hub. Full of good advice. I am going to share. This hub will help a lot of people if we get it out there.
Patty, you are awesome!!! So glad you included the Fire Department as a source of help. We seem to forget that is included in their agenda. You definitely made it aware to those who need such help that there are many stones to be turned and somewhere YOU WILL get the help you need. v/r
Thank you all for posting and sharing infomation - Darlene, gr82bme, Support Med. Even in my city, a large one, the help information seems locked away and with almost no payphones anymore, one ca't easily call the operator for help.
Hello, hello, 15 months ago
It must very draumatic, especially when you have a child depending on you alone. Your hub is a wonderful help.