My name is Caleb Brock and I am a very lucky member of this society we all love and enjoy pieces of. I recently graduated with a B.S. degree in Sociology and have spent the last 6 months or so looking for jobs where I can utilize the tools and skills that came along with such degree. I will be honest, originally the search area was limited to positions where I would have access to a decent amount of personal profit. However, after having no luck, I have broadened not only my search, but also my moral compass. After doing so, I realized that there has been a need for my attention and focus right here within my own neighborhood and community.
I will start at the beginning without going into more detail then needed, as to attempt to keep your attention and interest. All my life I have been aware of this big brick building located nearly two miles down the road from my family home. When I was a child my mother would take me along when she drove down there to drop off boxes of magazines and clothes. However, I was completely unaware of and uninterested in why we routinely took old belongings to this building. As time went on and as I got older, I began seeing random, unfamiliar individuals walking down my street, the adjacent road, and around the small mecca of convenient stores down the road from me, each with their own characteristic that defined them as someone less-fortunate (Don't get me wrong, I am by no means anywhere close to being wealthy, just lucky enough to be born into a middle-class home). These individuals, although they did occasionally innocently block parts of the street, ask for spare change, request a ride during times of bad weather, and solicit simple products, never seemed to be harmful, dangerous, or a hindrance to anyone in the community. That is, until one of my neighbors who had recently adopted a young child began complaining that someone was trespassing on her property late at night, knocking on her door, attempting to break into her home, and going through her mailbox. One day it just seemed like she began trying to think of ways to talk negatively about the individuals who we all had come to find out lived in that big brick building down the road. Unfortunately, some of the other community members who lived in close proximity to this neighbor of mine also began voicing their opinions, claiming that the individuals who walk down our road were a risk for causing vehicular accidents, becoming victims of crimes, and for becoming criminals. This prompted community leaders and law enforcement personnel to get involved in the situation, leading to the creation of mass hysteria within my community, and to the implementation of regular community meetings held to discuss the cost vs. benefit of having this venue remain a part of the community.
Finally, after years of debates and quarrels, the decision was made to have this property shut down for good, forcing those who lived there to find other housing arrangements. However, what wasn't taken into consideration as much as it should have been was the fact that the individuals who called the place home were, therefore by definition, significantly less-fortunate, as the venue itself was built and run to be a safe haven for residents of the surrounding communities who were impoverished, homeless, physically or mentally disabled, victims of domestic abuse, or who were former drug addicts seeking isolation from those who have a negative impact on them.
Another under-publicized piece of this whole situation was that, by shutting down this community support venue, those who did call the place home either temporarily, or for the foreseeable future at the time, were largely displaced, and left with even fewer resources than they had when they had arrived. The effects of the decision that was made has left many of the individuals homeless, a portion of which remain in our community, living on the sides of the very road that, when they had walked down it, initiated the whole situation--proving that the way in which this situation was approached provided hardly any resolution for the community members who voiced their complaints at the start.
Now, you have heard the story from start to finish, and now may have some idea of what I am attempting to do with funds from this crowd-sourcing project. For those of you that don't, what I am attempting to do is raise some capital so that I am able to have this housing source for those less-fortunate than many of us reopened. Being that I have been a member of this community for 24 years, have been present to experience the rise and fall of the venue in question, and being that I have an understanding of what issues caused a rift in the past, I believe that I have a solid handle on what it will take to maintain such a place while ensuring that doing so doesn't cause any problems within the surrounding community.
What I am asking from you is that you contribute what you can to assist me in this venture. If you are able to do so, and you would like to be, you can be one of the first considered for one of the many jobs that will be created should be achieve the reopening of this venue. There will be several openings for nursing staff, administrative staff, clerical employees, maintenance, housekeeping, and many others. The structure I am seeking to open will be, like it has been in the past, a safe haven for any and all individuals who are currently facing hardship, are disabled, who are abuse victims, are homeless, are attempting sobriety, or who are in need of a place to stay on a temporary basis. There will be an option for permanent and semi-permanent housing for residents who meet state and local guidelines and who meet any other necessary requirement. Otherwise, confidentiality will be respected for those who are only seeking housing for a short temporary period--we will not require any information from them beyond the legally-required amount. For now, it is my plan that we will function as a non-profit organization, and be kept running solely through the support of the community and local government entities. By requesting the communities assistance, we will in turn give those within it the opportunity to submit suggestions and requests regarding our organization and our residents.
The $3,000 I seek is just enough to pay for the submission of all appropriate requests, ordinances, and documentation. I am attempting to raise funds elsewhere to supplement what I have already been able to raise from the surrounding community, which will cover costs regarding purchasing the building, land, and all necessary furnishings, as well as cover the first year's salary for the first few employees that are brought on to the project.
If you can help this goal on any level, please let me know. I sincerely appreciate your time and consideration.
