Monday, June 30, 2008

Grand Prairie Lifeline Shelter for Families provides temporary housing

By Minnie Payne

Left to right - Mayor Pro-Tem Ruthe Jackson, Founder Angela Giessner, Honorary Chair Janice England, President Jorja Clemson

GRAND PRAIRIE — Grand Prairie’s LifeLine Shelter for Families, Inc. was organized September 2003 by still-active member Angela Giessner as a means of helping homeless Grand Prairie ISD students and their families.

Christine Gonzalez, coordinator for the federally funded Connections Program for Grand Prairie ISD, explains that usually the first step in identifying displaced students is through teachers and counselors.

“The Connections Program is funded by the McKinney-Vento Grant and, among other things, is used for free lunch and school supplies,” she said. “Displaced children have a right to receive the same type education as their peers, as well as the right to remain in the same school they were enrolled in before becoming displaced.”

LifeLine’s first displaced family in 2003 was a single mother with four small children who was living in a garage with no heat and no electricity, she said.

“The eldest child was a Grand Prairie ISD kindergartener, and we realized she had problems,” Gonzalez said. “We helped aid the entire family by providing them with food and rent.”

Gonzalez was hired as coordinator for the Connections Program in 1999 and said that upon uncovering displaced children, she immediately started going to community organizations and churches, asking for assistance.

“One of the organizations that I approached was the Soroptimist International Club of Grand Prairie, of which founder Angela Giessner is a member,” she said. “Angela checked to determine whether or not my plea was legitimate and convinced the club to give us the seed money to start LifeLine.”

Because she was an employee of the Grand Prairie ISD, Gonzalez said that she couldn’t serve as social worker for LifeLine, so the board hired their only paid employee, Kathy Severance, who has a master’s degree in social work.

“Before LifeLine, displaced families had to go to homeless shelters in Dallas, Fort Worth or Arlington, which would disrupt their school life,” Gonzalez said. “Usually, it takes a student six months to adjust to a new school and environment.”

The requirements, she said, for becoming a LifeLine applicant is that one or both parents must be working and have children enrolled in the Grand Prairie ISD.

Jorja Clemson, LifeLine’s president, said that the organization works in conjunction with Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-op and Grand Prairie United Charities.

“Our case worker works with the families in securing food stamps,” she said.

Clemson said that the Grand Prairie Lifeline Shelter for Families has grown to the extent that it provides for 12 to 15 families per month.

“We raise funds year round through sponsors and other venues, but we have two major fund-raising programs,” she said. “One is a gospel concert held in the spring where different city churches come together and a love offering is taken.

“Last year we raised $8,000.”

The other, she said, is the catered Freedom Luncheon wherein tickets are sold and silent and live auctions are held, as well as there being sponsorships. Clemson exudes excitement when she talks about the $50,000 that the June 19 luncheon raised for the organization.

“Although we had to turn six families away in January of last year, we helped 93 families and 247 children in 2007, and as of June 19, this year, we have helped 49 families and 125 children,” Clemson said. “Because of the current economic situation, we are in constant need of funds as families are referred to us.

“The fact that overall 66.75 percent of Grand Prairie ISD’s students are on free or reduced lunch shows that we have not solved our problem.”

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• Charity
• Politics and Government > City Government > Grand Prairie
• Poverty > Homeless