New Hope for Families

The Nest at New Hope

Elaine — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 15:21:03 +0000

Executive Director of The Nest at New Hope

Emily Pike

Emily Pike is a native of Southern Indiana. She graduated from Mitchell High School, earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, and will receive a Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs in December 2013.

A veteran of the Peace Corps and a variety of socially motivated organizations, Emily has more than a decade of experience working in nonprofits. Aside from the third sector, Emily’s other passion is children. Having worked for many years in a number of childcare provision roles, she understands the importance of intentional programming for children beginning early in life. She first joined the New Hope team in April of 2012 and was excited to transition to the role of Director of Children’s Programming in April 2013.

About the Children’s Program at New Hope

Just as heads of families enter New Hope facing any number of barriers to permanent stable housing, so too do their children face a wide range of challenges to their success. These challenges are often compounded by a insufficient support from parents who must dedicate all of their energies simply to providing food and housing for their families. The children’s program is designed to complement adult progress by providing individualized attention to each child, to assess any challenges to academic and social success, and to provide compensating services and activities as needed.

In general, these services take three forms: academic support through tutoring and age-appropriate activities geared to stimulate curiosity and creativity; emotional support through individualized attention that allows children to experience and articulate their feelings in appropriate ways; and social support through fun outings designed to expose children to new activities and empower them to develop healthful habits to last a lifetime. All of the services the Children’s Program provides center on a belief that the most important work of childhood is learning through play. We work to relieve children of the grown-up anxieties they experience so they are free to be the kids they are.

Academic Support

Many children come to New Hope with significant academic difficulties resulting from homelessness and its cohorts, including emotional stress, physical illness, and lack of structure. For these reasons children at New Hope Family Shelter are much likelier than their peers to face academic and social problems at school. They are likely to have moved away from their school district, to have had friendships disrupted, to share their parents’ sense of crisis, leading to feelings of anxiety about their ability to succeed in school.

Our tutoring program features individualized academic attention for each child at least twice weekly, and every child, regardless of age, benefits from these services. For the very young, this may be as simple as playing matching games, reading picture books, or exposure to music. For older children, our attentions center around the work they are doing in school with added encouragement to pursue any subject the children find particularly interesting. All children are encouraged to participate in twice weekly trips to the Monroe County Public Library, where children’s program staff and volunteers help children to choose appropriate reading.

New Hope parents often feel uncomfortable in dealing with teachers and school staff on their own, and they frequently feel ill-equipped to be advocates for their children’s educational needs. New Hope staff offer assistance in communicating with school administrators and teachers. New Hope staff, interns, and volunteers encourage parents to participate actively in school activities and events, and offer to attend case conferences and meetings with parents as needed while preserving the areas of confidentiality the families need. The Children’s Programming Director meets regularly with parents to discuss their children’s educational progress and to suggest ways in which parents can be supportive of their children’s continued success.

Emotional Support

Children often enter New Hope having been exposed to complex and sometimes very adult crises, and they find themselves unable to process the complicated situation their family is in. These feelings of confusion and fear can manifest themselves in serious behavioral problems that are significant barriers to their success both academically and socially. The problems are often compounded by parents who are ill-equipped to understand and address them and who have found that all their attention and time have been insufficient to address their children’s most basic requirements for shelter and food, leaving them discouraged and overwhelmed by higher level needs.

The Children’s Program staff and volunteers ensure that children have a chance to spend one-on-one time with an adult who is focused solely on them. This is a time for children to participate in an activity of their choosing, in which the only objective is being heard and understood. Adults focus on letting children express themselves in appropriate ways and helping them to think through solutions to problems they might be facing. In addition to providing their time and attention to the children at New Hope, these adults offer a two-fold service to parents by allowing them a much needed break to have time for themselves and providing valuable modeling of simple ways to spend easy time with their children.

Social Support

The most important work of childhood is play. Through playing individually and with other children, kids learn to work through the complex roles they fill in their families, at school, and in society. At New Hope, staff and volunteers work to provide families a variety of play experiences. All of our children’s activities are centered around allowing children to be children and encouraging a positive relationship to physical health through enjoyable physical activities.

Past activities have included excursions to Brown County State Park for horseback riding, to Spring Mill state park for hiking and spelunking, and to McCormack Creek State Park for a waterfall nature walk and nature center tour. In the summer, we provide interested children with the opportunity to attend summer camp at the YMCA and take regular trips to the Bryan Park pool. These activities are augmented by frequent walks to local parks and playgrounds, trips to the Monroe County Humane Society to play with animals, and visits to the WonderLab Museum. All children who would like one are given a bicycle and helmet upon their arrival at New Hope, and some families enjoy them so much that rides along the B-line trail become an almost nightly ritual.

Lead Teacher at The Nest at New Hope

Kate Gehringer is the Lead Teacher at New Hope’s Early Childhood Development Center, which provides high-quality preschool services for the children of New Hope residents. Kate has long experience working with this age-group, for one simple reason, which she expresses with infectious enthusiasm: “I have found that I’m good at it -- and I love it!”

Before finding her way to New Hope in November 2015, Kate had worked in a wide range of different positions, including in the arts, agriculture, at a veterinary practice, tending bar and waiting tables, all in addition to working with preschool-age kids in various capacities for the past 12 years, most recently as an ABA therapist for children with autism. And she insists that “every one of these jobs informs the work I do here at New Hope.”

Of all of those experiences though, she speaks most fondly of her years at an early childhood education program similar to Head Start in Colorado, in a district that had a high percentage of “at-risk populations” and the “worst schools in Colorado.” The children and families she worked with were often living in poverty and dealing with other hardships and barriers such as speaking English as a second language or having a parent incarcerated, but according to Kate: “These are some of the best people you’ll ever meet. They have nothing, and they endure so much violence in their lives, but they are still so generous.”

The single most important lesson she learned and has carried with her, she says, is that in working with low-income families and vulnerable populations “you have to abandon your middle class expectations and meet folks where they’re at.”

She gives this example to illustrate her point: “Everyone knows how important it is to read to your kids, right? And it’s so easy to give parents that advice and get frustrated that they’re not taking it. But it’s hard to read if you have no books. And it’s hard to get books if you’re living in a car. So I developed a book bag program. I would select a thematic set of books and put it in a take-home bag with a notebook and crayons, to allow the child to share the books with their families and respond with words or pictures.”

When she moved back to Indiana, Kate’s greatest desire was to find work “with people who really need my help.” At New Hope, she says “the children are the focal point – they are more important than profit or anything else. I can feel that I’m using my time and my talent to serve at-risk kids and parents who need and desire high quality early childhood education, but simply would not have access to it otherwise.”

This lack of access to early childhood intervention for some of the families who need it clearly rouses a strong sense of indignation in Kate:

“Take two children, one born in the Bronx and one in Manhattan. Those kids are each just as precious, but one gets advantages and opportunities that the other could never even dream of. Some children get ‘thrown away’ in our society, and that’s totally unfathomable and unacceptable to me. My work is a drop in a very deep bucket, but it matters, in a real and lasting sense, to each and every child we’re working with. What Emily and the New Hope Foundation is doing in supporting early childhood intervention is quite simply the only way to break the cycle of generational poverty.”

Kate clearly has an impressive command of the extensive research to support her assertion of the importance of early childhood intervention, citing numerous studies that establish a direct correlation between education. acquisition of self-control during the childhood years and emotional well-being, stable relationships and economic success in adulthood.

Yet, as she points out, “our families at New Hope are obviously go-go-go, just caught up in the day-to-day struggle to get the necessary things done to keep themselves going, so they are not always in a position to teach their kids these things, and the children can’t learn them by themselves.” She emphasizes that she considers it a big part of her job is to build a relationship of trust with kids’ families:

“We talk to the parents at the end of each day; we tell them about all the great things their kids have done that day. It’s important how you talk to the parents – you have to celebrate the positive behaviors, and work together with them to solve issues that arise together, in a way that includes the whole family.”

A critical element of the Center for Kate is its long-term commitment to the families:

“Even after a family gets back on their feet and moves on to permanent housing, their kids can continue to come here. If not, we’re putting them back out there on one leg. These parents are working, and so they still need childcare!”

Kate says that she and Emily have big plans for the Early Childhood Center. Moving into their new building opens up in May all kinds of possibilities to improve upon their routines and educational activities. Kate has big plans to recruit full staffing and to step up community outreach efforts. And she is determined for the Center to achieve its ambitious goal of achieving a four-star rating under “Paths to Quality,” Indiana’s Early Childhood Quality Rating and Improvement System, in the near future.

Kate’s passion for her work at New Hope and conviction that it is making a real difference is evident in the energy and enthusiasm she exudes when she talks about it. But the real reason she does what she does? “It’s selfish…This job is fun! I come here and feel like I’m in my second home, with my family. My days go by so fast!”

Executive Director of The Shelter at New Hope

Caitlin Ryan — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:14:33 +0000

Elaine began her job as Executive Director of New Hope Family Shelter in June 2012. (Photo by Kristina Hobbs

Currently a resident of Bloomington, Elaine was raised in relative poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis. As a child Elaine experienced situational homelessness on two occasions. She feels her relatable experiences are an asset to New Hope residents. Elaine believes that cultivating lifelong learners, promoting respect, maintaining dignity, and encouraging independent decision-making skills are key elements to overcoming homelessness. Elaine is outgoing with a positive outlook and a mission of planting seeds of learning wherever she may go.

Elaine's Story

As a child I didn’t know we were “homeless,” only that we pulled together to do what we could to “get by.” I didn’t feel sorry for myself, not by any means. In my mind I was just a regular kid with an ordinary life. We just happened to live in a camper during one short period of time.

As an adult I have come to understand that “homelessness” is a label attached to an experience. A label has nothing to do with how an experience feels: good or bad. Life is what we make of it.

I personally feel children who are experiencing “homelessness” want to go through daily life as usual; birthdays happen, friends are made, and meals are eaten. Children can be so resilient. Especially with supportive adults acting as a guide through the experiences life may bring.

As the Executive Director of New Hope I believe it is important to support the whole family through their experience. Each family faces unique challenges on their road to stable housing. It is transition that I believe can be viewed as a life shift that can lead us in a positive or negative direction.

As director I attempt to guide residents to resources available. It is up to the individual to utilize them. By creating transition plans, setting goals, and sometimes stopping along the way to challenge a young resident to a game of Uno, I try to act as a bridge during a transition.

At New Hope we are careful not to use the word “homeless,” it is, after all, an experience. It doesn't have to shape who we have yet to become.

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I chose to become.” Carl Jung

Leon Gordon

Leon Gordon serves as Assistant Director at New Hope for Families. Leon is primary case manager, working one-on-one with families to secure housing and other vital social services. He meets weekly with clients to help them develop and manage individual transition plans that enable their families to work toward stable housing. This includes, but is not limited to, assisting with: employment search, transportation needs, communicating and coordinating with other local social agencies to serve families. In addition, Leon helps manage daily shelter operations including oversight and upkeep of shelter space. Other duties Leon is committed to include: facilitating, improving and developing programming available for families during their stay (e.g., parental support, financial planning, time/goal management, etc.) Leon is completing his PhD in the Learning Sciences at Indiana University (expected Fall 2017) (Education: MA: Learning Sciences, Northwestern University; Secondary Ed. Teaching Certificate (English Language Arts), National-Louis University; B.A.: English Language & Literature (Pre-Med), The University of Chicago.

Doug Western

Douglas Western is a passionate humanitarian with a commitment to advancing our corporate quality of life through the development of excellence in interpersonal communication. He has worked with people experiencing homelessness since 2009, helping them rebuild their lives and establish sustainable sources of income and permanent housing. Douglas brings a unique insight into the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness having experienced these challenges first hand.
After struggling with anxiety and depression, Douglas eventually found himself homeless and alienated from his family. Having no place to live and no support system, he entered a Gospel Rescue Mission. It was at this shelter that he found compassionate individuals who aided in his reconciliation with God. Upon the renewing of his Christian faith, Douglas began overcoming the obstacles that had plagued his former life, selfishness, insecurity, and depression. This journey was marked with the restoration of his familial relationships and, with the encouragement of others who saw in him gifts and abilities he did not recognize on his own, he embarked on a life focused on service to others, especially those considered to be “the least of us.”
Formerly homeless and alone, now a proud husband, new father, and homeowner, Douglas joined New Hope Family Shelter, Inc. in May 2016 as a site supervisor after graduating from Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington, where he earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Administration. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Liberty University. He is skilled in program management with experience in non-profit administration, sales and customer service, and human resources management and staffing.

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New Hope Family Shelter

bloomington

Elaine Guinn

Homelessness

Emergency Shelter

monroe county

New Hope for Families

John Towers — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:00:44 +0000

New Hope for Families is our community's response to a need established as a priority at the 2010 Homelessness Summit. New Hope is the only emergency shelter in Monroe County that keeps homeless families together -- a critical aspect of any strategy to address the problems that lead to homelessness.

New Hope Family Shelter’s mission is to provide temporary shelter for homeless families in Bloomington and Monroe County and, in collaboration with other agencies, to help those families regain housing by addressing the problems that led to homelessness. The shelter provides accommodation for up to six families at a time for up to 90 days each while our case manager and director works with those families in daily contact and weekly conferences.
Moms and dads who are homeless have adult problems that are addressed by the New Hope Plan: case management plus shelter. Case management means developing strategies for adults to find stability – both in housing and employment. For children, case management means helping them navigate the complexity of living in poverty.

Homelessness creates a profound instability for children about where they live, moving from school to school, and parents who are upset because at the moment they are unable to make a safe and secure place for their children. New Hope was founded to specifically address the challenges families experiencing homelessness face. The needs and well-being of shelter children are at the center of New Hope operations. From age-appropriate toys, books, and school materials, to programs that help connect children to healthy recreation, foods, and experiences, staff and volunteers at New Hope help children overcome the emotional and social difficulties of homelessness.

Board of Directors 2017
President: Steve Dyer
Vice President: Liz McCrea
Treasurer: Ken Ritchie
Secretary: Roger Lee
Doug Bruce
Teri DeMatis
Jamie Donahue
Karen Hicks
Craig Luginbill
Rob McCrea
Mark Norris
Jim Riley
Paul Rothman
Tom Schwen
Sue Shindell
John VanderZee

The Roof at New Hope
Elaine Guinn (Executive Director)
Leon Gordon (Assistant Director - Case management)
Doug Western (Shift Lead - Community Coordinator)
Diana Robertson (Site Supervisor, Trauma interventionist, Family Programming)
Hannah Benjamin (Evening Children's Programming)
Marsha Patton (Overnights, Site Supervisor)
Logun Cain (Ivy Tech)

The Nest at New Hope
Emily Pike (Executive Director)
Kate Gehringer (Early Childhood Teacher)