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Rotary Log for November 30, 2017 On this last day of November, we learned more about one of the true, and perhaps underappreciated, gems of our community. More about that later. President Ben presided over what appeared to be a larger than usual turnout of Rotarians. In other words, Eric Weinrieb graced us with his presence; the undersigned refrained from introducing him as a guest. After introducing guests and visiting Rotarians, several announcements were made. Here goes: Priscilla MacInnis informed us about the outstanding work accomplished by all the volunteers at our annual Thanksgiving dinner. She proudly displayed a list of the participants on the screen. Well done everyone! Dan Hoefle received special mention as the recipient of some traditional Thanksgiving hazing. He now feels he is finally part of the team. Way to go Dan! Sara Treacy announced the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen dates for 2018: They are January 31, February 26, April 30, June 19 and October 29. Anyone wishing to volunteer please contact Sara. Frank Firicano brought a new set of posters to advertise our Christmas tree sale. Everyone is encouraged to take a poster and place it at or near their place of business. More posters will be made available, if needed. Craig Taylor says that the upcoming charity hockey game is December 16. It features Bruins alumni and benefits the Richie McFarland Children’s Center. Tickets are still available. See Craig for more information. Janice Cassidy reminded us that the new Rotary Christmas ornament depicting the White Island light is available for $17. The boat shown in the forefront is none other than Ted Alex’s to commemorate the White Island 9—sort of? New member Yvonne Legge let us know that Tom Decker has been ill of late. A get well card was passed around for all to sign. Up next, James Petersen plugged the next District Conference meeting scheduled for May 4. Fifteen club members have signed up and a request was made for more to attend this time-honored event. The gathering will involve five Rotary districts. Cyndi Shanley is coordinating the Senior Holiday Lunch December 11. Anyone wishing to attend must RSVP to Cyndi as seating is limited. Lastly, Vice President Cleo gave us an update on Christmas Tree sales, thanking those that helped set up the trailer and displays. Let history note that the Team One unloading crew set a new record of 42 minutes. The achievement has been memorialized on the wall of the trailer in permanent ink—one of President Ben’s proudest moments. Susan Gold won the 50/50 raffle for $72. There was no match. With all the compulsory Rotary business finished, our guest speaker took the podium. Executive Director of Crossroads House, Martha Stone, joined Crossroads in 2004. She was elevated to her current position in 2013, holding the job since then. During her tenure, she has already presided over the $5 million dollar renovation and expansion project. Crossroads is now the largest transitional shelter in the New Hampshire seacoast region. As a side note, Martha was the recipient of a Rotary scholarship way back in 1983. She used those funds to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College. Just another fine example of Rotary’s reach in this world! The shelter is structured to accept adults and families in need. It opened in 1982 and remains in operation 24/7 with a staff of 26 full and part-time employees. Cross Roads uses the dedicated work of a strong Board of Directors, employees and about 200 volunteers. The organization has a streamlined intake process. This ensures needy individuals and families are quickly and efficiently processed into the system. The shelter is a “wet” shelter that provides a safe environment for people suffering from substance abuse. For example, the individual bunk beds have built-in stairs to enhance safety. Counselors and other healthcare professionals have dedicated spaces to provide needed services. Despite all her laudatory comments, Martha stressed the shelter is not the solution to homelessness. Affordable housing is. The shelter is meant to be a facility to transition individuals and families into permanent housing. In that role, Cross Roads has been a resounding success. Statistics bear this out. The shelter can house 515 people at any given time. Typically, about 12% are children. Currently, sixty-three children from 36 families reside at the shelter. With respect to single adults, eighty-two percent of the time, there is overcapacity. Typically, Crossroads sees an uptick in resident numbers when the weather turns colder. In the last year, the shelter has provided 35,000 bed nights and served approximately 23,000 dinners. Seventy-four percent of all residents find permanent housing. Remarkably, one-hundred percent of families in the transitional program have landed permanent housing. The average stay, year-over-year, is 69 days. The shelter has adopted several safe-guards to ensure the success of residents after they leave. For starters, it has partnered with many local agencies such as Seacoast Mental Health. Further, Crossroads has implemented an intensive stability case management program to assist individuals and families after transition to permanent housing. This outreach program focuses on issues such as executive functions, budgeting, self-advocacy and the like. For example, through these outreach efforts, eight evictions have been stopped. Remarkably, the recidivism rate is currently seven percent. Martha suggests this low number is somewhat disappointing. That’s mute testament to her dedication to continually improve services offered and results achieved. The shelter’s greatest challenge is funding, most of which is from community grants. Donations of all kinds, fundraising efforts and federal, state and local sources enable the shelter to continue its programs. Legacy donations are most welcome as well. Rotary has been there throughout the years with regular donations, both monetary and in-kind. Those that remember our Thunder Chicken Barbecue may also recall all those late-night excursions to bring the leftover food to Crossroads. We have much to be proud! Respectfully submitted, Mark Larusso Photos by Chad Chadwick
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