MULTIPLE DISTRICT 16 NEW JERSEY PROJECT REPORT For January 20, 2003
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Housing and United Services, Inc was founded and incorporated in 1990. We became a Lions District 16B Project in May of 1995 and went on to become a Multiple District 16 Project in May of 2001. Housing and United Services, Inc. is a private service provider of essential services to people are blind or visually impaired.
On November 12, 2002 we sent out our Financial Statement as of June 30, 2002, the end of our most current fiscal year. Attached to the Financial Statement was a copy of our Non Profit report that we are required to submit to the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. We sent the Financial Statement & report to all five District Governors, Vice District Governors, Council Chairman, State Sight Committee Chairman, and the Lions State Office. Thus we have complied with the Council of Governors request for Financial disclosure for all Multiple District 16 New Jersey Approved Project by February 1, 2003.
On November 20th, we have sent out a solicitation mailing to all individual lions members of Multiple District 16. This solicitation is in addition to our annual mailing to each Lions Club seeking their financial support. These fund raising efforts are being conducted in order to allow our organization to expand it offering of services to meet the growing needs of people who are blind or visually impaired due to state government cut backs. This mailing was 7200 pieces and with printing, postage, and permits in cost $3,200.00. As of today we have received donations from 31 Lion Members making financial gifts that total $697.00. Thus this fund raising effort is shoein a success as of yet since it cost $2,503.00 more then it has brought in. However, We are confident that each individual Lion can afford to make a financial gift of there choosing to join us in meeting the growing needs of the blind.
We have been very busy providing our normal services of housing information; providing printed materials in Braille, large print, and on tape; assisting the blind in finding transportation opportunities in their local areas; assisting local groups and organizations in providing information to their members through accessible formats. To have service opportunities available, our greatest amount of time and effort seems to be spent in advocacy, working for the continuation of government sponsored services and have donated over 40 used computers to this program.
Since July 2002 computer have been distributed to people located as following:
D'Nella
Elmer
Lakewood
Lakehurst
Monroe Township
Voorhees
Browns Mills
Rockaway
We are currently awaiting paper work on three active requests for a used computer.
At this time, we have outgrown our current space thus we are seeking approximately 1,1000 2000 square feet of office & programming space. It is our hope that we will be able to obtain this new space through a donation, in kind lease, or an estate bequest. Our plan is to establish a facility that would hold all of our administrative operations and provide space for direct training. For example, we would expand our computer recycling program to include computer training on the computer that the consumer would take home with them.
Since July 2002 we have received 21 donated cars that we are awaiting checks on for their sale or scrap values.
Since July 1, 2002, we have received the following donations:
Allentown Lions $100.00
Brick Lions $250.00
Colts Neck Lions $650.00
Elizabeth Cubanos Lions Club $200.00
Elizabeth Port Lions $50.00
Green Brook Lions $100.00
Howell Twp. Lions $200.00
Maple Shade Lions $200.00
Medford Twp. Lions $100.00
Milford Lions $50.00
New Providence Lions $100.00
Palisades Park Lions $50.00
White Horse Lions $200.00
If your Lions Club is not listed, watch for our annual appeal letter which is sent out (November) to all Presidents and Secretaries throughout the state, then support our project and join those who want to help the blind.
People Served / Service Provided from July 1, 2001 June 30, 2002
200 - Information and Referral
100 - Multi Media (Braille, large print, audiotape transcriptions etc.)
50 - Housing Information
100 - Direct Services (providing instruction, acceptance into programs, & preparation for other services etc)
20 - Computer Recycling services
30 - Counseling individuals and their families on adjustment to blindness thru. to entering the path of obtain services to lead a normal independent productive lifestyle
HUS has served 500 people served from July 1, 2001 thru. June 30, 2002
Respectfully submitted:
Lion Michael T. Marrazzo,
HUS Executive Director
TRANSPORTATION ACCOMMODATIONS
Understand that this is not a political issue but a matter of providing services in a method that has been successful for more than 92 years in New Jersey. No one organization can be the sole provider of services for the blind and we, as Lions, have always worked with a number of other organizations to help the blind.
Please take a minute to log onto our WEB Site at http: //community. nj com/cc/hus This site has been up since January 8, 1999. Visit this site and keep up to date with our services, resources, and links.
Due to recent budget cuts in the New Jersey state budget and an early retirement program the NJ Commission for the the blind is experiencing reductions in there service delivery system. Therefore, organizations such as Housing and United Services are trying to fill these voids in service. Currently, when a person is referred to the NJ Commission for the Blind for service if the individual lives alone they will be scheduled to be visited by a counselor in approximately 15 weeks from the day of referral, if the individual lives with some one (a spouse, family member, friend) they will be place on a waiting list with no designated time for service to begin.
If a individual was receiving services prior to July 1, 2002 and they live alone their services will continue with one 1 hour training session in their home once every 15 to 16 weeks. If such an individual lives with someone else their services have been discontinued with no date given as to when they might start up again. Here is where Housing and United Services has begun to help by coordinating group training sessions with retired certified teachers of the blind. We seek other organizations with buildings or local churches to donate space for 1 to 2 hours one day a week. However, this is only a Band-Aid approach to the problem of a lack of service because we can only reach a very small number of people.
In addition, there are some hidden costs that we will incur in the very near future one of which we has recently come to our attention and that is professional insurance. materials, and other administration costs.
As of July 1, 2002 we have begun a new fund raiser that all Lions can participate in with no out of pocket costs. Based on an ad in the Lions International Magazine that outlined raising funds through the collection of old cell phones. We have looked into the program and here is how it works for every cell phone we collect we will receive a donation from $1 to $3 from the cellular foundation in Washington DC. The Cellular foundation reprograms the phone for victims of violent crimes to dial just 911. See the attach sheet for details; With the assistance of all the clubs in Districts A, B, D, & E this can be a very successful fund raiser because in District C they have been collecting phones for years and they earn thousands of dollars for their District Foundation.
To start off our cell phone fund raiser we have received our first corporate donation from the Philips Group, Inc. in New York City; they have donated 90 cell phones.
As an update to our computer recycling program, we have provided 105 computers for adults and students who are blind or visually impaired. We can only accept used computers that are running Windows 95 (windows 98 preferred) second edition or higher, and Pentium II processors. To date, the Hopewell Valley Lions Club
Housing and United Services Inc.
was designated A Lions Multiple District 16
New Jersey approved Project in May 2001