NCWV 100-Day Challenge
Executive Director and CEO, Keri DeMasi, along with Lauren Fredrick of the WV Coalition to End Homelessness (WVCEH) were elected by the State System Leaders to serve as our State’s Co-Sponsors of this challenge. Keri and Lauren recruited WV’s state team who traveled to South Carolina for the launch of the #100daychallenge. While there the team elected their team leaders. Bartlett Housing CoC Case Manager Lead Edwards and WVCEH Outreach Worker Larry Seawell were chosen for this role. Bartlett Housing is proud and honored to be part of this challenge aimed at eliciting systemic and sustainable change.
The 100-Day goal includes significantly decreasing the number of youth at-risk and homeless people and includes housing marginalized LGBTQ individuals. The focus includes ensuring racial parity, preventing youth from exiting public systems without long-term housing, securing job opportunities and strengthening the infrastructure of existing systems to better deal with this rising epidemic.
The Rapid Results Institute (RRI) is a not for profit organization that partners with other innovative organizations to help solve complex societal issues. RRI has helped organize and provide consultative services to help choreograph our 100-Day Challenge. RRI, in consultation with HUD, has determined that the 100-Day Challenge will be postponed and resume on May 4, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This date is subject to change depending on how the situation evolves.
Though our ability to house folks has slowed during COVID-19, the 100-Day Challenge Team still wants to make sure homeless service providers, community partners, concerned citizens, and consumers have the most up-to-date information from our federal partners. The staff members at WVCEH have been working diligently to compile resource materials for four colleagues working on the ground to serve one of our most vulnerable populations. For more information and to download materials from the CDC, WVDHHR, USICH, and HUD. To find copies to views or download please go to WVCEH website at https://www.wvceh.org/news-updates/113-covid-19-resources.html.
The team is still hard at work to ensure we are in the best possible position to reach our goal to safely and stably house homeless and at-risk youth and young adults in North Central WV once we get through the pandemic. We will continue to meet and are still taking referrals through the WVCEH intake line at 1-833-722-2014. We are still seeking additional units and landlords that are willing to support our efforts in Harrison, Marion, and Monongalia County. If you are a landlord or know someone who is a landlord please contact Elizabeth Edwards at 304-439-5834, eedwards@bartletthousingsolutions.org or Larry Seawell at 304-476-5557, larryseawell@wvceh.org.
