For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara Poppe, (614) 221-9195

July 3, 2002

Resource Room at Sunshine Terrace

Dedicated to Honor Commissioner Stokes

COLUMBUS, OHIO, July 3, 2002—The YMCA of Central Ohio honored the lifelong commitment of Commissioner Dewey Stokes to the people of Franklin County by dedicating a new Resource Room for employment and training at Sunshine Terrace in his honor. The Dewey R. Stokes Resource Room was dedicated on Wednesday, June 26, to help residents of Sunshine Terrace with employment, education, and training.

The dedication of the Resource Room marks the beginning of a new era for Sunshine Terrace and the surrounding Franklinton neighborhood. The YMCA of Central Ohio and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) worked together to save the 180-unit development from the wrecking ball and provide supportive services for residents. CMHA invested more than $2 million in building improvements. The YMCA developed supportive services and round-the-clock reception and security for building residents as part of the Rebuilding Lives program for homeless men. Rebuilding Lives calls for re-structuring men’s shelters to better meet the needs of homeless men with a short-term crisis, and the creation of supportive housing for long-term homeless men to help them avoid returning to shelter.

The Franklin County Commissioners have supported low-income and formerly homeless residents of Franklin County by investing in several Rebuilding Lives developments, including Sunshine Terrace, the Engagement Center at Maryhaven, and The Commons at Grant development in the downtown area.

The location of the Stokes Resource Room in Franklinton is especially fitting, since the Commissioner grew up in the same area.

“I grew up about three blocks from here in Franklinton,” said Commissioner Stokes, who was joined by his wife, mother, daughter, and grandchildren at the dedication ceremony. “I am very proud to see this facility remain in Sunshine Park, and beautifully renovated to help people find employment and new opportunities.”

“I’ve seen Commissioner Stokes interact with the people who are tenants in supportive housing,” said Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the Community Shelter Board, “and he is personally interested in supporting their efforts to find work, to remain healthy, and to reunify with their families. He is very inspirational to the tenants of this building.”

Commissioner Stokes thanked his fellow Commissioners Mary Jo Kilroy and Arlene Shoemaker for their support, in addition to the many sponsors and supporters at the dedication ceremony. He also reminded those gathered that trials and tribulations are a part of life for nearly everyone, not just for people who are homeless.

“We’ve all experienced difficult times in our lives, when we’ve needed the support of our families, our friends, and our community,” said Commissioner Stokes. “It is our network of support that allows us to overcome challenges. That’s why today’s event is about more than a dedication. It’s really a celebration of the progress that we’ve made as a community to create a network of support for homeless men, women, and children in Franklin County, to make sure that no one is left behind.”

Employment Resource Rooms, like the one named after Commissioner Stokes, are being developed in shelters and supportive housing facilities, as part of the Rebuilding Lives plan, to provide access to self-help supports to enable residents to quickly access housing, employment and community services. Resource Rooms equipped with computers, Internet access, telephones with voice messaging capabilities and current information about job and housing leads provide an efficient way to meet resident’s needs. Resource Rooms are meeting the needs of employers, as well as, helping quickly re-integrate homeless persons into the community as tax-paying workers.

Sunshine Terrace provides affordable housing for low income tenants and the Rebuilding Lives target population. Tenants have access to the following supportive services: crisis intervention, support groups, conflict resolution and mediation, psychiatric services, recovery readiness services, daily living skills assistance, physical/occupational/medical services, recreational/socialization opportunities, personal money management, legal assistance/Resident rights education, transportation and food/nutritional services. Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. provides on-site preventive health and medical services.

Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Community Shelter Board, and the YMCA of Central Ohio are all partners in the Rebuilding Lives initiative. Based on the work of the Scioto Peninsula Relocation Task Force, the Rebuilding Lives plan is a five-year two-pronged approach to ending homelessness and literally “rebuilding lives”. Based on this plan, short-term needs are being met through an improved safety net of emergency shelter and long-term needs are being met through the development of 800 units of supportive housing.

The Rebuilding Lives plan is sponsored by the Community Shelter Board, which was created in 1986 to respond to the growing problem of homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. Since that time, CSB has allocated over $47 million to programs that provide services to families and individuals experiencing a housing crisis in our community. Last year, these programs served more than 11,000 individuals. The Community Shelter Board is funded by the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Central Ohio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and other public and private donors.

YMCA of Central Ohio's associate vice president Steve Gunn
and president/CEO John E. Bickley try out the new
Employment Resource Room at Sunshine Terrace Apartments.

Commissioner Dewey Stokes was joined by his family at the dedication ceremony
at Sunshine Terrace Apartments. Back row from left to right: daughter, Lisa Fallara;
Dewey R. Stokes. Front row from left to right: granddaughters Rachel Fallara and
Laken Stokes; grandson, Vince Fallara; wife, Florense Stokes; and mother,
Florence White.

###