April 24, 2010 - The Lighthouse Center in Virginia Beach makes headlines! Click Here for the April 24th edition of The Virginian-Pilot to read this wonderful two-page article on an amazing program for our clients.
April 19, 2010 - By Natalie Neumann
In Maryland, the proposed Montgomery County budget reduces funding for homeless outreach services. For one group that's more than 40 percent of its budget. That could mean the group will go under in the next fiscal year.
Four months ago Sidney McEachin was homeless and had been for more than a year. But since then his luck has changed.
"It's overwhelming. I'm still in a whirlwind," says McEachin.
He heard about a program that would help him out: Volunteers of America Chesapeake's homeless outreach program. They helped McEachin get food stamps, counseling for his depression and he says he was touched by a case worker's dedication to help him find a home.
"She took me to the interview for the housing on Christmas Eve. I said 'Wow, they must really, really care,'" he says.
McEachin says the county should keep funding the organization.
"I'm not saying we don't need smooth roads. But I'd rather have roads full of potholes than homeless people," he says.
But with the county facing a $761 million shortfall, many hard choices lie ahead before the budget is finalized in May.
Former client of Volunteers of America Chesapeake's Montgomery County Mental Health & Homeless Outreach Program Sidney McEachin (left) stands beside program director Victoria Karakcheyeva (right) at the program's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Courtesy of: Courtney Dunn, Volunteers of America Chesapeake
Click Here to read more about the program and find out what you can do to help!
October 14, 2009 - Read this article from the Washington Post, about the great things happening at Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center in Woodbridge, Virginia! To check it out click here.
October 5, 2009 - Check out these great a
rticles about the new Loudoun County Emergency Homeless Shelter Facilty in the Washington Post
and Gretchen Crosland, in the Baltimore Sun!
August 20, 2009 - Hot off the press, the Summer 2009 Voices Newsletter is here!
June 22, 2009 - Buses For Baseball!!
On Wednesday, July 22, 2009 children, ranging in age from 2 to 17 years old were welcomed to Nationals Park in Washington, DC to see the Washington Nationals take on the New York Mets! All the kids were participants in “Buses for Baseball,” a program administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust. This year, children from Volunteers of America Programs, Loudoun Emergency Homeless Shelter and Eastern Avenue Apartments got the chance to watch batting practice, meet their favorite Nationals players and have all the ice cream, hot dogs and goodies they could eat.
This season, as result of the generous participation of individual Major League Baseball Players, Major League Baseball teams and the Major League Players Trust the “Buses for Baseball” will provide over 1,500 children from the U.S. and Canada with an unforgettable ballpark experience.
Watch footage from our Buses for Baseball trip to the Washington Nationals Stadium!! www.youtube.com/watch
June 25, 2009 - keep up with what's going on at Volunteers of America Chesapeake by checking out the latest pictures on our Picasa site at http://picasaweb.google.com/voaches.
April 15, 2009 - If you haven't seen our Spring 2008 Voices Newsletter click here to check it out!