Chess & Checker Pieces for Sheltered Homeless

Hello,

New ask! This fundraiser was started to gather and distribute winter items while conducting weekly homeless outreach. With the success of SHAP and a placement rate of over 60%, I'm quite lucky because I've been able to stay in touch with unhoused folks who have mobile phones and get their feedback on the facilities and processes to help determine where improvements can be made.

In addition to the value of conducting site visits at placement locations, productive and progressive meetings with DHS promise to bring overall important improvements to the New York shelter system, incrementally, of course. These changes are required due to the 40-year progression of addressing New York street homelessness without the mindful approach necessary to prevent recidivism. By connecting with the unhoused in this way, while also advocating for program leaders and facilities, SHAP is making a difference on a holistic level.

What I need help fundraising for this time:

*6 packages of chess and checker pieces. Pieces only, there are tables in the common area at one particular 21-bed Safe Haven in Manhattan. I discovered that the Program Director there has a vision to create a community within the facility, and has taken a poll to find out what people want. I was thrilled to hear they aim to create a community garden in their outdoor space. More to come if that becomes a need - I love the idea. There are many heart-led people in this arena. It's very reassuring. I'd like to help these folks out, especially since when visiting a site, a SHAP volunteer who was previously unhoused examined the chess and checker boxes in the recreation room we met staff in and thanked the Director for having them. They're an important way to pass the time and possibly make a new friend. "Playing Chess is a particular and challenging activity that requires the orchestration of diverse cognitive resources such as memory, attention, and perceptual grouping," according to the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra in Portugal.

*3 sturdy locks with keys

*A box of keychains attached to carabiners. Each tenant has a locker and people are always losing their keys!

*Metrocards. I like to have a couple on me during outreach if the unhoused person is reticent to take DHS transportation to a placement. If they don't like it, they will be stuck and forced to jump a turnstile, inviting police interaction which I prefer to prevent. The ultimate goal is for placements to be an appealing and viable option to come in from the streets, and I find that having a Metrocard can be a game-changer during an interaction.

*SHAP business cards with lined fields to include the volunteer and DHS client's name. Sometimes folks have a Metrocard and head to the placement location before DHS can finalize the referral. It's good for them to have something in hand so the facility and tenants aren't faced with a potential safety concern if there is any delay.

While DHS is one of the best agencies in NYC, we're still dealing with the city, bureaucracy, and legacy issues that have promoted this project's inception to ameliorate street homelessness. Please reach out if you're interested in learning what we're doing differently, especially if you'd like to volunteer.

I thank you for your support!

PREVIOUSLY...

I volunteer as an advocate once a week for the Street Homeless Advocacy Project, aka SHAP. The group focuses on parks, areas frequented by the homeless, and the subway system. I'd like to be able to bring some basics along with me and could use your help!

OBJECTIVE

The goal is to get one person off of the streets every night and for them to voluntarily use provided transportation to proceed to a welcome center, stabilization bed, or a safe haven as opposed to a congregate shelter. Many street homeless would rather sleep outside in the cold than stay in the shelter system.

INITIAL NEED

I first ordered one 12-pack of these backpacks and brought four with me each night, two for men and two for women. Now I need to replenish!

I would also like to have new coats to offer if there is a need. This is an affordable option at $15 per unit.

As people are voluntarily leaving the street to come inside, having a few MetroCards on hand helps: should they not wish to stay, I want them to know that they can access transportation and move freely on public transit without added stress.

ASK

Any amount you can contribute would be a huge help as I am currently working part-time and was just accepted to start school at the end of January. I'd like to make one initial order due to storage constraints and build a slush fund to continue as the mercury drops. My goal is $500 as I gather data on need (it has remained rather warm, for now). I am aware of coat drives and NYC access to certain donations but this is a much faster way to get the items directly into the hands of those in need, especially if I encounter someone who does not wish to leave the street but is still cold.

OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact me and I will let you know when the next orientation session is.

Thank you so much for helping get people off the street and providing them with viable options for independent housing, and hopefully some referrals to social services.

Kiki