June 30, 2011 - The Center for Women in Transition launches their new website at www.cwt-cu.org.webmaster with any questions or comments about the sites.

July 1, 2011 - One Year - One Agency!   It has been one year since The Center for Women in Transition and A Woman’s Place became one agency.  Today, we proudly work together with one mission:  To provide a continuum of services so individuals and families can achieve safety, stability and self-sufficiency.

The Staff and Board members came together to recognize our many accomplishments from this past year with a celebration at Jupiter’s-at-the-Crossing on June 22nd.  The primary focus this past year was merging the domestic violence services provided at A Woman’s Place the existing framework of homeless services  provided by The Center for Women in Transition and streamlining both programs of the agency to make all operations more efficient.  All of this administrative work was performed in the background while direct service staff continued to provide the same high-quality supportive services on a daily basis to the clients of both programs.

July 15, 2011 - CWT receives the first of four Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) homes from the City of Champaign.  The Neighborhood Services Department at the City of Champaign hosted a Dedication Ceremony for the NSP.  The event started with a Welcome and overview of the program in the City Council Chambers.    A bus transported all attendees to the homes for a tour and dedication ceremony.

The McKinley House is a duplex that went into foreclosure in June of 2009.   The property was an ongoing nuisance and blight problem to the City.  The vacant property was purchased under the federally funded NSP.  When acquired by the City, the home had several code violations, including lead paint hazards and a make-shift basement apartment, which was unfit for occupancy.   NSP funding has allowed the City to purchase the once vacant, blighted and foreclosed property, and bring the home up to code, removing the basement apartment, and all lead-based paint hazards.   The property will remain affordable housing for a minimum of 20 years.

The Center for Women in Transition is honored to be a part of this permanent supportive housing to help empower wonderful women such as Josie, to become self-sufficient and make that change in their lives.  CWT will be able to continue to provide women with opportunities of permanent supportive housing thanks to the NSP.   CWT stated, “We will be able to provide these women with stable and affordable housing to make the changes they want to make in their lives.   Permanent supportive housing will allow women in this community to be empowered and become self-sufficient for many years to come.”

July 22, 2011 - Socks for America rolled into Champaign.   Sarah and Emily representing No Nonsense spent several hours with two residents at CWT to document their stories for a series they are producing.  After touring the Homeless Services Program facilities, the pair toured Transitions Resale Store, home to CWT’s retail training program.  Sarah Crocker, Assistant Store Manager, answered questions about the purpose of the store and it’s benefits to the women and children in CWT programs.

Following a tour of the store, Socks for America staff presented the agency with 70 pairs of new socks for the women of the Homeless Services Program.   See photo album ...

July 23, 2011 - A Mini-Adventure:  The Children’s Case Manager at A Woman’s Place (AWP) arranged for a field trip on July 23, 2011.  Clients and staff of AWP traveled to Fisher, IL to visit an 8-acre farm that houses 1 full-size and 4 miniature horses.   The owner of the farm is a retired school teacher of 20 years who devotes her time to taking care of her animals and donating visits to children’s groups.   During our visit, we were educated on how to properly care for and treat animals, and discussed what the animals like to eat, their life span and other interesting facts about horses.   We spent time inside the barn and walked around where the horses like to play.   After our tour we all sat down and had a picnic lunch in the shade, courtesy of Subway, 1713 Kirby, Champaign.

August 1, 2011 - Josie has lived in Champaign for many years and has children and grandchildren that live here as well.   She works at Extra Help at the University of Illinois and does not have a consistent income, so it is hard for her to keep an apartment at a higher rent.  She came to The Center for Women in Transition (CWT) in January seeking housing.   Josie was desperately ready to make a change in her life.  Josie has struggled with substance abuse throughout her life and it has been a constant battle for her.   She has been in and out of treatment but, due to not having a sober and safe environment to live, she has never been able to make the sobriety last for a long period of time and has had a difficult time keeping housing.  When Josie came to CWT, she was ready to make that change and has made a great deal of progress.  Josie is very motivated and always working to get things taken care of to better her situation.   For Josie the opportunity to move into affordable rental housing with permanent supportive services will give her the stability of a safe and sober environment.   It will also provide her with continued case management.   Josie will become more self-sufficient by managing her money and paying her bills.   Josie is very excited to move into her new place.

September 29, 2011 - The Center for Women in Transition has been chosen to receive a $20,000 grant from The Mary Kay Foundation as part of the organization’s annual $3 million national domestic violence grant program.  A Woman’s Place is one of 150 domestic violence organizations participating in the program.   The grant will be used to fund general operations.

“In light of the economic downturn and alarming increases in domestic violence, The Mary Kay Foundation’s mission is more critical than ever before.  A Woman’s Place has helped so many women and their families in the Champaign/ Urbana area.   We know they will use these funds to benefit even more domestic violence survivors and their children and help end domestic violence,” said Jennifer Cook, The Mary Kay Foundation board member.

The Mary Kay Foundation was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold:  to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue.  Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded $28 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $16 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States.   To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation, log onto www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).

October 15, 2011 - The Center for Women in Transition received funds from the City of Urbana through the Community Development Block Grant for three (3) projects this year.

The first project completed was for the complete renovation of the kitchen at A Woman’s Place, the domestic violence program of CWT.  The entire kitchen was gutted, and rebuilt in 3 days!  See the before & after pictures album!

The second CDBG project will be the kitchen remodel for the Forbes House. 

Unfortunately, CWT did not receive enough funds for a complete kitchen remodel, so we are looking for donations to supplement the grant to rehab this old kitchen.   Please view the album of the existing Forbes House kitchen.

November 7, 2011 - HPRP Participant Success: The Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program is funded by the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity.  The purpose of this funding is to provide temporary assistance to individuals to prevent homelessness.

“Elizabeth” contacted The Center for Women in Transition (CWT) because she was in imminent risk of homelessness due to pending release from a drug and alcohol treatment facility.  After being assessed for services,  it was determined that Elizabeth met both the income and risk of homelessness criteria set forth by the HPRP program.  Within 1 ½ months of receiving services, Elizabeth secured a job at a local restaurant where she continues to work today.  She initially started with a few hours a week and minimal pay. Elizabeth proved she was a dedicated and dependable employee, and has gradually been scheduled for more hours per week over the last year. This in turn has helped increase her income. In addition to maintaining steady employment, she has remained engaged in the treatment process by attending AA meetings regularly and working closely with her AA Sponsor. Elizabeth recently celebrated one year of sobriety, which is a milestone for her and a pleasure for our organization to take part in. We are proud to report that through HPRP assistance including case management, budget planning, and linking to needed services Elizabeth has gained adequate financial resources, and she is comfortable and confident in maintaining her housing free of  assistance. She recently called her Case Manager to express her gratitude for the help she was provided through the HPRP program. She communicated that she would not have been able to regain her independence without the help of CWT and HPRP and that she was “grateful.”

November 17, 2011 - CWT and Ford County Circuit Clerk Implement Skype Program to Assist Victims

PAXTON — A court advocate from a social-service agency in Champaign is being made available five days a week at the Ford County Courthouse to guide victims of domestic violence through the process of seeking an order of protection.

Ford County Circuit Clerk Kim Evans said the service is being offered by the Center for Women in Transition in Champaign, which plans to have a court advocate available Monday through Friday, either in person or through videoconferencing, to assist people in crisis with filling out the required paperwork.

“Ford County is one of the counties that we cover — and we’re not able to get up there very often — and we felt that the women who need orders of protection need to be seen face to face with an advocate at every possible chance,” said Lisa Little, a case manager and court advocate for A Woman’s Place, a women’s shelter in Urbana operated by the Center for Women in Transition.

The court advocate will assume the same duties once held by Barb Cleary, a former secretary for the state’s attorney’s office. Cleary was serving as the county’s “victim/witness coordinator” prior to her retirement in September 2010, but the position was eliminated earlier that year when the $19,000 grant that funded the job was no longer available.

As a result, for the past year abused women have had to handle the legal process in gaining orders of protection by themselves — or with the help of employees of the circuit clerk’s office, who lack the resources and training to provide the service, Evans said.

Evans said she and her four employees have been overwhelmed with the time it takes to help people file orders of protection. Already this year, 45 orders of protection have been filed, surpassing the number filed in any of the past 15 years.

“When they come in to file an order of protection, on the whole it takes one of our staff members two hours,” Evans said. “And we’re already overwhelmed with everything (we are responsible for doing in the circuit clerk’s office). A lot of people are wanting assistance in every aspect.”

Meanwhile, Evans added that she and her employees are not professionally qualified to serve as victim/witness coordinators, and may not legally be allowed to. Evans said she contacted the Center for Women in Transition to seek assistance as a result.

“It’s state-mandated that we cannot” assist with the paperwork, Evans said. “I’ve had other circuit clerks tell me that we can’t even hand out the forms because it’s not our job.”

The Center for Women in Transition received a grant to make the service possible again in Ford County, Little said.

Little said the plan is to have a court advocate available once a week, but more likely once every two weeks, in person at the Ford County Courthouse. When the advocate is not present, advocates will be on call and use an Internet-based videoconferencing system called Skype to communicate with domestic violence victims whenever needed, Little said.

She said the advocate will help the victim “walk though the paperwork, which isn’t easy to do,” especially when the victim is in a time of crisis.

“If someone comes in for an order of protection, they’ll be given the paperwork by the clerk, and they’ll be referred to us if they appear to be in crisis or need help,” Little said.

As of this week, the Skype videoconferencing system is not yet in place, but both Little and Evans said they expect it to be set up soon. The videoconferencing system will be set up in a room in the basement of the circuit clerk’s office, allowing the victim to communicate directly and privately with the advocate through a television screen, Evans said.

The confidentiality is important, Evans noted.

“There had to be a secure place where somebody can’t come down there while the person is being interviewed, and where nobody can hear the conversation,” Evans said.  “Our staff is more than willing and able to help anybody that comes in, but this is a very private matter. What is said in there stays in there.”

After the paperwork is filled out with the help of the advocate, the person seeking the order will see Judge Steve Pacey, who will hear their side of the case. The judge then usually has the person seeking the order, as well as the person the order is being sought against, return to court at a later date for a hearing, Evans said.

January 18, 2012 - The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois: Joan Dixon presented an award for air-conditioning equipment for CWT’s permanent housing program at the Board of Directors Meeting.

The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois was established in 1972 to encourage and receive gifts and bequests from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations to respond to the charitable needs of the residents of east central Illinois.

We promote philanthropy in an impartial, unbiased, ethical way, with a commitment to inclusiveness. We bring together people and resources to identify and address present and emerging community needs.

One of the ways we do this is by making grants to tax-exempt, not-for profit organizations serving the residents of east central Illinois. Since 1972, we have provided about $10 million to support a broad range of agencies and organizations in the areas of human services, arts and culture, education and civic and environmental affairs. Funds are also used to support special programs designed to enhance the quality of life in our target communities.

February 29, 2012 - Champaign County Head Start/Early Head Start Collaboration: In 1985 The Center for Women in Transition opened its doors to serve homeless mothers and their children.  In the summer of 2010 Champaign County Head Start/Early Head Start began a collaboration with the homeless shelter to provide comprehensive services for homeless children and families. 

With the combined efforts of the Champaign County Head Start/Early Head Start and The Center for Women in Transition, The Center now offers comprehensive services to children birth to three, their mothers, fathers and siblings.  For this collaboration CCHS provides a model of combination programming to Early Head Start children and their families who live at the homeless shelter. This combination model includes 96 classroom experiences and 24 home visits annually and also allowed CCHS to have its own space set up just for Early Head Start infants/toddlers that is used for the classroom experience CCHS , as well as, a combination mentor on staff whose office is located at the shelter. 

 This collaboration has brought many benefits to both parties.  One of the benefits includes offering a developmentally appropriate center based experience for homeless infants/toddlers twice a week.   In this setting, children feel safe, nurtured, loved, and cared for in an environment that offers consistency with the same primary caregiver each week.  The Center for Woman in Transition has put a real emphasis on the mothers in the program volunteering in the room, participating in trainings, and participating in the CCHS policy council.   

The homeless mothers at the shelter, who are enrolled in Early Head Start, not only benefit from their child receiving center based services, they also benefit from the biweekly home visits in which the parent along with the combination mentor work on strengths and needs, but most importantly, the goals for their family.

Not only has CCHS helped these families obtain goals such as receiving a GED, finding employment, and providing them with appropriate child development modeling and training, but the efforts of our two organizations working together has made for a healthier and safer place for children and families of this community.