Humanitarian Warfare: A War of Blankets and Milk
- Tim Taylor
- Aug 11, 2020
- 13 min read
Humanitarian Warfare: A War of Blankets and Milk
After the disaster at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Russia was suffering from a severe milk shortage. An American charity started to raise money to buy and send milk to help. While the Russian people were grateful, the proud Russian government took offense because they didn’t want help. At the same time, New York was experiencing a particularly cold winter and major homeless crisis. So, in “retaliation” they sent thousands of blankets to New York for the homeless population. And thus, humanitarian warfare was born. Regardless of the reasons behind their actions, each nation took it upon themselves to find a need and fill it as best they could. Conventional warfare takes lives and costs lots of money. In humanitarian warfare, money is still spent, but lives are saved and even improved. It shows the true strength of nations through the kindness they provide, even to their enemies.
Arizona has dozens, if not hundreds, of small and large organizations that do just that at the local and personal level. In humanitarian warfare, there are many fronts to fight ranging from homeless with major mental health issues to families down on their luck that just need a little help to make it to the next paycheck. While doing some research, I found many organizations right here in the Great 48th State that have been doing outstanding work. I narrowed the pool down to three that each cover a different area: Valors on 8th, The Aris Foundation, and Dsquared Homes for the Homeless. Each organization is fighting on their own unique front, and each has made a difference in countless lives.
Valors on 8th is an organization focused on engaging veterans and their families in all kinds of activities, and connect them with resources if they need it. Valors engages veterans with events like Saturday morning coffee meet ups, bike rides, and even free tickets to movies and events, to name a few. They also have a great network to connect vets to the resources they need. The founder, Ro Gonzales, has done some great work since its founding. Valors has received multiple awards in its short time. You can read more about them below.
The Aris Foundation focuses on helping homeless “kids” and loving them where they’re at in their life. They help them get resources to get back on their feet. Every Tuesday they distribute items that have been donated. They also hold BBQ’s and other social gatherings for the kids and volunteers. Speaking as a person who was homeless for a while when I was young, this organization would have made a huge difference in my life. I’m so glad they saw this issue and decided to act.
The third organization I interviewed is called Dsquared: Home for the homeless. Their focus is preventing homelessness for the independent living Mental Health Challenged population so that we address both the mental health and homelessness crisis by supporting their efforts to remain self-sufficient. They target a very specific population that’s caught in the gap of being too independent to receive assistance, but not independent enough to not need some help during tough times. It’s a very particular population that slips through the cracks and, without some kind of help, they often end up homeless and not eligible for help. Just like retaining an employee is cheaper and easier than hiring a new one, preventing homelessness is much more cost efficient and generally more simple than to rehabilitate someone who is already homeless.
Each of these organizations aims to give those they help a purpose; something, philosophically, that we all search for and crave. In the relatively short time they have been in existence, each has made significant impacts on the community. While each organization has a different target, they each started with one person who saw a problem and decided to take action. Individual effort is so crucial in making substantive changes in our world. If all you watch is the mainstream media, all you’d see is the doom and gloom of the world. But good things happen every single day. These good deeds in the world are carried out by every day, ordinary people that felt prompted to do something. Humanitarian aid starts with the individual. Just as a small pebble cast into the still pond can create far reaching ripples, one person’s efforts can have far reaching effects on people’s lives.
If you like to learn more about these organizations, you can read, in their own words, what they are all about, or follow the links to their websites, or volunteer!
Valors on 8th
How did your org get its start?
It got started in 2018 after another organization I was volunteering for told me that they don’t do what I wanted to do. So I decided to with the encouragement of other members from the organization to start my own org and do whatever I wanted to engage with Veterans and better them in the community.
Main focus/goals?
To help any Veteran that is willing to help themselves. To motivate and have them build a camaraderie with other Veterans that they haven’t had since they were active duty. To be the #1 Veteran resource in Arizona for all veterans and active duty personnel.
Supplemental activities, goals, etc?
To attend sporting events, have cookouts, volunteer in the community, have them active with their family members (spouses and kids) with outings, and the list goes on and on and on.
Stats? What have you done? Volunteers?
Since we started in 2018 we have engaged with more than 3500 veterans with all of our activities. Veterans from all eras, WW2, Korean, Vietnam, Pre 9/11 to Post 9/11.
Partnering orgs?
We have a coalition with Concerned Veterans of America, PTSD Foundation of America, VAREP, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Youth for Troops, Packages from Home, Veterans Upward Bound, and too many to name.
Future plans and goals?
To have chapters in Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. To be the BEST VETERAN NONPROFIT in ARIZONA.
Why do what you’re doing?
To have Veterans not go through what I went through if I had only asked for help when I needed it at the time. I could have done without the pain and sufferings because I was too proud to ask for help or too embarrassed to ask for help. And to leave a legacy for my grandchildren to know what grandpa did to help out Veterans that have sacrificed so much and have not been treated with the proper respect or dignity for what they did.
The Aris Foundation
How did your org get its start?
Aris Foundation was founded in 2016. I was volunteering for an organization called Tumbleweed which supported homeless young adults (18 to 25) in Tempe. Tumbleweed declared bankruptcy and it broke my heart for these "kids". They no longer had a place to go to eat, do laundry, get services. So I started driving around with my van full of clothes and snacks and tried to find my kids. I talked to my Mom one day and she asked me, "What do they need?" And we decided laundry was the key. So, I created a meeting place at a laundromat in Tempe one day each week - and "Tuesdays in Tempe" was born! Shortly thereafter, I applied to become a 501(c)3.
So every Tuesday we provide them with a full meal, hygiene items, clothing, medical supplies, snack packs and miscellaneous items that they need to get them through (batteries, tarps, dog food, etc.)
Main focus/goals
Our main goal is to "love them where they're at". Early on, I believed the goal was to help these "kids" get off the streets, but that's really not it. They need to feel loved and supported and that they're not alone in the world. And if that's while they're sleeping under a bush, so be it. We really just want to be there when they are ready to make a change. We want them to have someone to call when they're alone and scared; someone to help.
Supplemental activities, goals, etc?
We do many different things to support our "kids". When they go to jail, we write to them and put money on their books so they can get hygiene items and food. When they get out, we provide them with clothing and the resources they need to get a job (a phone, boots, etc.)
We provide Ubers to them to get to court appointments, the hospital or to see their kids who are in DCS.
We provide food boxes to those who are off the streets, but still struggling.
We provide loans (which they pay back) to help them when they're falling behind rent.
We furnish their first places when they have nothing!
We visit them in rehabs and give them the support they need to make it through.
We arrange their entrance into detox/rehabs and ensure they get there safely.
We buy Subway/Chipotle/Chick-Fil-A when they text and say they haven't eaten in days.
We provide them with a way to give back when they're clean and sober and lonely. They can come out and volunteer with us to take care of their friends.
We provide bus passes.
Stats? What have you done? Volunteers?
We have helped 102 "kids" get off the streets. When I say this, I always like to qualify that we are not the only help they get. We are there to get them to resources. We don't provide housing, but we do provide support. We provide guidance. We provide advice. We can Uber them to detox/rehab. We can provide them with clothing when they are released to jail. We can get them phones to be able to get a job. We are the "parent they never have". We also help them to get bank accounts and set up budgets. We help them improve their credit.
I'm also proud to say that MANY of our volunteers are addicts who have turned their lives around. They come out to remember where they've come from and give back to those behind them. I tell them often that it's now their turn to change a life. If they see a need, let's see if we can fill it!
Every single person who comes out to help is a volunteer. Aris Foundation has NO paid employees, no salaries, no reimbursed expenses. Our biggest expense is our storage unit. I'm very proud of that.
We do not have any federal, state or local financial assistance. 80% of our funding comes from individuals around the community. The remaining donations come from corporations.
Partnering orgs?
We realize that no one can do everything well! So, we partner wherever possible! We partner with Women 4 Women, the City of Tempe, D Squared, Mountain Park Health, veterinary organizations, and just recently we have started supporting other outreach efforts. We support five different new outreaches that provide supplies to the homeless in Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Phoenix. We can reach so many more people if we work together!
Future plans and goals?
I learned early on that this effort is not guided by me. Sounds crazy, but it's absolutely true.
Having said that, it has always been my dream to someday be able to purchase a run-down motel and provide a safe location for my homeless "kids" to reside while they decide their futures. I have realized that I cannot want a different life for them more than they want it for themselves! Until they figure it out, I'll be there to guide and help them.
Why do what you’re doing?
Because someone has to do it! These kids deserve someone who cares about them unconditionally and without judgment. It breaks my heart to think that anyone feels totally alone in this world . . . .
DSquared: Homes for the Homeless
How did your org get its start?
Personal experience.
In 2018, my son lost everything and lapsed into homelessness as a result of a toxic relationship. I reached out to the mental health authority for temporary shelter until he regained employment, also lost as a result of the relationship. Marc denied him housing Community Center (though it was available, and I was willing to assist financially), over a $40 income shortage. My son's new home became his car, and he lived in Kiwanis Park for one year.
I quit my part-time job (I still work full time in addition to leading my nonprofit) to fight the system for my son. While providing supplies to him in the park, I learned the truth about homelessness, which is that everyone is one step away from it. I met individuals who were homeless for various reasons, but the majority was because they had lost housing, and there were no programs to help them remain afloat. Affordable housing was like a unicorn based on their rate of pay, and I met people living in the park and trying to work their way out of it. I met Veterans, which I am, and was appalled that they served our Country and still lived outdoors! I could not sleep at night with this new reality.
Though I did not like it, I am a realist and understood an agency has every right to deny services for whatever reason they chose, so I decided to create my housing program and do the same. While many complain about the government not doing enough, my thought is that this is a challenge the community can and should address. Complaining solves nothing, why not do something about it? I had become debt-free after seven years of working three jobs, so going into debt again was not an option despite my passion. I created a GOFUNDME page and raised enough money to start Dsquared Homes for the Homeless.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2010, physicians predicted my son would never work again, and if he did, he would never be capable of more than 20 hours per week. Assuming their prediction was fact, I applied for disability after carefully considering what this meant for his future. The stigma of mental illness would follow him for the rest of his life, so I had to consider my decision carefully. I applied, appealed, and I was denied three times, and on the last attempt, the judge said as long as he could push a broom, he could work. I wasn't prepared for the denial as he had a documented mental illness, but the attorney explained the courts consider the age. Since he was only twenty, the state would support him for more years than they probably found acceptable.
The denial turned out to be a blessing. After a three years extremely rough recovery that included an inpatient stay, my son began working full time for Arizona's Mental Health System, was promoted to a Case Manager after three years and eventually transitioned into managing his own apartment and returned to school part-time in the evenings. He was proof mental health challenges did not preclude success though stigma would make society think otherwise.
Main focus/goals?
What is different about us is that our focus is on the PREVENTION of homelessness for the independent living Mental Health Challenged population so that we address both the mental health and homelessness crisis by supporting their efforts to remain self-sufficient. Caught in the gap, they are too independent to receive the level of services required to stay afloat, but not so independent they will never need support during those temporary setbacks to continue being productive members of society. It just makes sense to prevent homelessness for those interested in remaining productive members of the community, and it is more cost-effective to prevent, rather then try to rehabilitate someone who has given up on life.
1. Support the chronically homeless with basic living necessities (until we can house them in Phase 3.
2. Prevention of Homelessness for the independent Serious Mentally Ill population experiencing a temporary setback, so they remain self-sufficient.
3. Independent Transitional Living Homes with wraparound services for the chronically homeless so they return to a life of purpose.
4. Supplemental activities, goals, etc.
5. Instill a sense of philanthropy into students (through our outreach ministry) and their surrounding communities because THEY are the future. If the lack of
The goal of our Volunteen Outreach program is to instill a sense of philanthropy into students and their surrounding communities, as well as to teach them about mental illness so they can recognize the early warning signs either in their friends or themselves. Education is key to dealing with teenage suicide.
Our Plan (Plastic Yarn) team is approximately up of about 75 volunteers who crochet sleeping mats for the homeless out of plastic shopping bags. The team all work from home and choose the parts of the process they want to perform as it takes approximately 1000 grocery bags to create one mat. Some flatten the bags, some cut and roll the strips into yarn, some crochet, and some do it all.
Panera Bread Dough-Nation: Volunteers pick up the day-old dough-nations each week and deliver to underserved populations and the homeless.
Heat Relief Program (State Program we partnered with)-Our Volunteens set up a stand once a month and fill hygiene bags while we distribute water and snacks at various parks
Real Estate Rider Program: Agents or anyone in the world of real estate can partner with us and commit to sharing a portion of their commission with Dsquared. Our Rider is placed on their properties for sale and once sold, the organization decides how much they would like to donate to Dsquared.
Gracie (Fundraising/Marketing Volunteer), is currently focusing fundraising efforts on planning and establishing a DSquared4Homeless digital art gallery. This digital art market which features a a community of artists who want to use their work to help support the DSquared4Homeless.org mission.
Earth2Gracie.teemill.com sells t-shirts with inspirational, uplifting, and original designs. Her mission is to support and inspire people who are doing the work of being and spreading love in the world. 50% of proceeds go to DSquared4Homeless.org.
Gracie is also working on a Reality Show that uncovers the truth about homelessness. This project will not launch this year as we need several volunteers to make this happen. My goal is by the end of 2021.
Gracie McGovern-Nintzel is at lovechannelyoga@gmail.com.
Stats? What have you done? Volunteers?
Our homeless outreach program consists of tweens and teens (with their parents) who collect donations from the community, which they fill our hygiene bags with and distribute to the homeless. We also share our bags with nonprofits and organizations that continue to serve the homeless community during the COVID crisis!
We have distributed approximately 4,000 hygiene bags, paid for with business or individual sponsorships. We are down to about 100 volunteers due to COVID, and most continue to serve from home.
Our Prevention of Homelessness plan, The Gap, has been written and staffed with Mental Health Professionals volunteering their time. This program will launch when we have raised $15,000, which will come from a combination of individual donations and community grants.
Partnering organizations?
We have "relationships" with Aris Foundation, AZCEND, Umom, Clothes Cabin, City of Mesa Fire and Rescue, St. Joseph The Worker, Catholic Charities, the East Valley Dream Center, Generational Wellness, IPG Continuum, Angels on Patrol, Women4Women, House of Miracles, INC, The Resolutionist, LLC, Fans Across America, Mesa Community College, United Healthcare, City of Tempe Homeless Outreach Program Effort and Bombas (socks) and P82 Housing, Foothills Physical Therapy, Slagter Real Estate, Weekly Collective, Faith Christian Center, and Central Christian Church. I want to partner with other organizations, private businesses, and individuals interested in not only providing the homeless with basic living necessities but returning them to a life of purpose.
Future plans and goals?
Launch our independent traditional housing program. We are now collaborating with supporters on creating an affordable housing plan that is not funded by the government. We believe the community, Entrepreneurs, Private Citizens, and Organizations are the answers to homelessness, and our goal is to make this investment worth their while!
We have also partnered with Candidate for Congress Nicholas Tutora. Our bi-partisan approach will set an example of what's possible when people are willing to cross party lines and work together on a solution that benefits society as a whole.
Create an employment opportunity for the homeless needing immediate (same day) cash to eat or pay for services that will assist them in getting off their feet like a document replacement to obtain a job or housing, a bus pass for transportation to jobs and interviews, etc.
Why do what you're doing?
I was created to fulfill a specific need on the earth, and I feel it is irresponsible (for me) not to honor my calling. Until I complete my assignment, people in need will remain homeless.
However, I also want to be the reason families understand the importance of sharing those secrets" that will impact future generations. In doing so, I will also change my family tree!
Stay tuned!
Comments