November 21, 2014

In January 2012, a Chester County team conducting an annual homeless count found Gabriel in a makeshift shanty outside Kennett Square. In addition to his deplorable living conditions, he was battling alcoholism, diabetes, frostbite and gangrene.

The 48-year-old agreed to accept help, and for several months, he appeared to be rebounding. Then he abruptly returned to the cobbled-together compound he had formerly called home, devastating the social workers who had toiled to reverse his fortunes. It would take another series of tragedies before Gabriel would come to represent a success story in Chester County’s quest to end homelessness.

On Thursday night, Gabriel was one of nearly a dozen speakers at an event attended by county officials, employees, service providers, business partners, and volunteers of Decade to Doorways, the county’s ambitious plan to provide permanent housing to all residents.

Held at the Chester County Historical Society, the second annual Community Partnership Celebration not only applauded the inroads of Decade to Doorways, but it also capped a week of activities associated with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Decade to Doorways began in late 2011 – in response to disturbing statistics. On any given day, nearly 700 residents in one of the nation’s wealthiest counties lack permanent shelter. In 2013, 942 residents spent at least one night in a shelter.

Eliminating those numbers requires the kind of dedication and collaboration among social-service agencies and landlords that Decade to Doorways has fostered, said Michael Hackman, the program’s administrator.

One of many examples of that approach is Chester County’s Homeless Coordinated Assessment System, “ConnectPoints,” which features contact numbers, including a web site address and a toll-free number, for anyone seeking emergency shelter or housing services in the county. The system cuts through bureaucracy by giving callers one-stop information about all available services.

Liz Hersh, the executive director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, called Chester County’s program “a model for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” She said 20 years of research shows that focusing on permanency with appropriate supportive services makes economic sense, costing far less than alternatives such as emergency rooms or prisons.

As a result, she said it’s important to make sure lawmakers understand the importance of Housing and Urban Development funding. Even though it only represents three percent of the federal budget, it provides invaluable services to those fighting homelessness.

One of them, Izzy Gonzalez, a doctor and the planning supervisor for the county’s Department of Community Development, was one of the people who first interacted with Gabriel in 2012, helping him address his dire medical needs.

After Gabriel returned to life on the street, Gonzalez didn’t connect with him again until March of this year. At that time, Gabriel’s precarious existence was rocked to its core by the death of Martin Rodriguez-Gonzales, 47, who shared Gabriel’s rickety complex near Mill and Cypress Roads in Kennett Township.

Gonzalez, the former head of La Comunidad Hispana in Kennett Square, said Gabriel went to wake his friend, found him unresponsive in a pool of blood, and ran across the street to find someone who could call 911. The coroner said Rodriguez-Gonzales, a former mushroom worker who was disabled in a car accident, had succumbed to chronic alcoholism.

After learning about the death, Gonzalez went looking for Gabriel and found him drowning his grief in alcohol. However, the relief was temporary: His friend’s death had provided the sobering wake-up call Gabriel said he needed to make permanent changes.

Gabriel said he appreciated the fact that numerous county services and workers had given him another opportunity to live, and he said he hopes to give back at some point. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much.”

Ameka, another recipient of Decade to Doorway services, also expressed her gratitude. She said she was living in her car with her four children when Catherine Friedman from the Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children found her shelter. “I’m so thankful tonight,” she said. “I really want to pay it forward. I’m going to do everything I can to do so.”

Such examples suggest the county is headed in the right direction, but there’s no room for complacency, said Pat Bokovitz, who heads the county’s Department of Community Development. “We obviously have a long way to go,” he said. “There’s still tremendous need.”

Hackman explained that collaborations help the program succeed, and two people received awards Thursday night for their efforts in that regard. Kevin A. Busza was recognized as the 2014 Landlord of the Year, and Carol Clark was named the 2014 Community Volunteer of the Year.

Stan Zukin, a landlord and co-chair of the Decade to Doorways Leadership Consortium, addressed the benefits of getting involved, participation that creates a connection to “the core of our humanity. He said his own experience as a cabinet-maker in Philadelphia resulted in making him a potential victim of homelessness.

“One day the work stopped,” he said. Rather than end up on the street, Zukin said he was fortunate to have a family business that he could return to in West Chester, a luxury not everyone has. “I got to understand what it’s like to be at risk,” he said. “I understand that fear, that vulnerability.”

Hersh urged those present to educate others about homelessness and what they can do to be part of the solution. A joke in the business world is that “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” she said. “Join me in being at the table. Together, we really can end homelessness.”

For more information on Decade to Doorways, visit www.decadetodoorways.org. Participants said a wealth of volunteer opportunities exist. For those in need of services, the ConnectPoints web site is www.connectpoints.org, and the toll-free phone number is 800-935-3181.

 

State police are seeking the public’s help to locate a 45-year-old East Marlborough Township resident facing hundreds of child-pornography charges.

Police said after determining that Jeffrey M. Ball was sharing images of child pornography on the Internet, investigators executed a search warrant on Sept. 16 at Ball’s residence, seizing several computers. A forensic examination resulted in the discovery of images and videos depicting child pornography, police said.

Magisterial District Judge Daniel Maisano issued an arrest warrant for Ball on Oct. 2, charging him with 503 felony counts, including the possession and dissemination of child pornography.

Police said that sometime after the execution of the search warrant, Ball fled from prosecution, abandoning his home, wife and children. Ball’s whereabouts remain unknown, police said. Anyone with information that will lead to Ball’s apprehension is asked to contact investigators at 610-486-6280.

An online business profile identifies Ball as having worked at a variety of companies in the greater Philadelphia area, including Deloitte, MetaMeme LLC, LPW Training Services, and the Judge Group.