Shaele Wood started volunteering in college, and is now the United Way Thomas Jefferson Area’s Volunteer Center Director. Shaele shares how to find volunteer opportunities by visiting www.BeAVolunteer.info an online database that allows visitors to search by keyword, issue area addressed, type of opportunity, youth and family opportunities and more. Volunteers can also view an online calendar of special events, training sessions and one-time volunteer opportunities. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
The Jefferson Area Child Health Partnership (CHIP) staff work every day with low income families. They help these families connect with needed services in our community. Some of the staff members are low income themselves, and they understand the challenges of trying to be a good parent when facing ongoing financial challenges. Compassionate and committed, the CHIP staff advocates strongly for their clients. In this podcast, they share some of their experiences. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
In this segment, we listen to two teenaged mothers share their lives, hopes and dreams for themselves and their children. The FOCUS WomenGuv,!v,,us Resource Center operates Teensight, a mentoring and education program for at-risk youth; a program that has made a difference for these teens. Teensight Director Maureen Burkhill talks about the programGuv,!v,,us services in the area since 1988. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
Hakim admits he’s made some mistakes. Mistakes and bad choices are what paved the path to the homelessness he faces today. A guest of PACEM, Hakim had just returned to the Charlottesville area expecting to have a home and found, as he said, “that was not true..”
Listen to Hakim share his definition of home and his determination to find a better future. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
When Dr. Greg Gelburd decided to open his own practice, he chose to offer a sliding-fee scale option for people not covered by health insurance. He struggled to find a lender for his practice because of this choice, but was able to find a way to do cover start-up costs in spite of that. Dr. Gelburd not only shows his compassion in his practice, he also regularly volunteers his time in medically underserved areas such as Honduras and New Orleans. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
Between the two of them, Kathy Ralston, director of Albemarle County Department of Social Services, and Buz Cox, director of Charlottesville Department of Social Services, they have many years of experience serving the community. In this segment, they share the history of public assistance in Virginia, define economic insecurity in our community and provide some recommendations of how people can take steps to escape poverty. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
Jamie lives with her children and husband in transitional housing in Charlottesville. She provides an insightful perspective on living homeless on the streets of our city, the effect rage and depression has had on her familyGuv,!v,,us economic situation and her priorities as a mother living in poverty. This interview, full of hope for the future and perspectives on local resources, highlights the experience of one familyGuv,!v,,us struggle from a motherGuv,!v,,us point-of-view. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
Charles Martin, the executive director of Urban Vision, discusses some of the programs and services available to people in low-income Charlottesville neighborhoods. Urban Vision has provided direct services to more than 75 percent of the 150 housing units at Friendship Court, a federally subsidized neighborhood in Charlottesville. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
This compelling interview with Martha, an immigrant to the Charlottesville area from Mexico, highlights the economic challenges our local immigrant population faces including language obstacles, housing issues and healthcare hurdles. MarthaGuv,!v,,us comments about work ethic and family are especially intuitive. Produced by Voices of Poverty.
When Dave Norris ran for City Council, affordable housing topped the list when he shared his platform with constituents. As the community continues to grow at an astonishing rate and nationwide accolades for the community attract more people to relocate to Charlottesville, housing prices continue to climb.
Meet Art, a Charlottesville area native who never knew there were homeless people here until he was one of them. We met Art as a guest of PACEM, an organization that provides overnight shelter during the winter months. His story about living, working and trying to find affordable housing in Charlottesville is compelling and provides a glimpse of the daily life of the homeless among us.
Voices of Poverty is, at its core, a series of podcasts, audio interviews broadcast online, with those living in poverty or working to help those living in poverty, in the greater Charlottesville area.
