Back on My Feet is looking for an experienced and motivated individual to fill the position of Executive Director for the Boston chapter.

Find the job description here.

Check out the  Back on My Feet jobs board, where all open positions with our organization are listed and updated.

Currently, we are also seeking Executive Directors in our Dallas – Fort Worth and Baltimore chapter

Hiring news can always be found on the Back on My Feet blog. You can receive automatic updates on hiring opportunities and news staff members, by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast, also.

WBAL reporter Sandra Shaw with THUMB teammates Mike Hoffman on left and John Lippold on the right.

WBAL TV channel 11, the Baltimore NBC affiliate, interviewed two Back on My Feet members from the Helping Up Mission prior to the Baltimore Running Festival last week.

Reporter Sandra Shaw spoke to members Mike Hoffman on left and John Lippold on the right.

View the video on WBAL’s website here.

This is the second time that WBAL has interviewed Back on My Feet members. WBAL was on the scene last year before the festival too. Click here to view the first.

Percentage of National Homeless Population by State (2009) Source: 5th Annual Homeless Assessment Report

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

• Cost of Homelessness:  [National Alliance to End Homelessness]–A piece about the cost of homelessness on society overall and what socially responsible means of combating homelessness exist.
• The 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to congress: [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]–An in depth governmental review of the homeless situation in the United States.
• A Preliminary Look at Boston’s Homeless Population: [McCormack Institute of Public Affairs]–A look at the state of the homeless population published by affiliates of University of Massachusetts Boston.

OF INTEREST

Philadelphia Sports Daily.com and Back on My Feet has announced a partnership around their common interest in the power of sport.

The new, popular sports site for those rabid Philly fans has donated space to Back on My Feet Philadelphia for promoting its fall United Way donation campaign. The public service announcement runs on the site’s homepage.

Highly relevant to Back on My Feet’s focus, the sport of running, Philadelphia  Sports Daily is an excellent partner to offer public service announcement space. It helps get the word out about the organization to an energized, sports-minded constituency.

The creators of the website describe it as, “the place you’ll want to check multiple times every day to find out the latest. Our goal is to cover sports in the Delaware Valley with vigor, style and impact.”

Their focus on sports rings true to Back on My Feet’s core values–as it is a non-profit organization that uses a sport, running, to engage the homeless community.
Read more…

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

Giving homeless identity: [ID Super Store]–Alberta using plastic ID cards to fight homelessness by eliminating an obstacle in getting jobs, bank accounts, and other ID sensitive economic goals.

Veterans Affairs gives grant of $41.9 million to aid homeless: [Capital Flyer]–VA gives grants of $41.9 million to aid homeless veterans by giving them a place to sleep.

Project HOME to build shelter for veterans in Philadelphia: [The Philadelphia Inquirer]–Homeless veterans and those with mental-health problems will find a new home in Tioga next year when the city completes a $10.5 million renovation of a 54-unit apartment building

Voucher program for chronically homeless loses funding [Baltimore Sun]

OF INTEREST

Where do the candidates stand on homelessness?: [Minnesota Public Radio]– Residents of Minnesota, especially their homeless population, are wondering what position a new governor will take on homelessness.

City helps about 700 homeless downtown: [The Independent Alligator]–Florida homeless treated to free food, personal services and other donated goods in downtown area.

VA gives Crisis Ministries $1.2 M

Find past roundups of homelessness news here.

After the jump,  click the picture or links to read full stories on Street Sense’s website:

The Art of Gamen: Bearing the Unbearable With Patience and Dignity
Read more…

WBEZ91.5, a public radio station based in Chicago, interviewed several new Back on My Feet Chicago members and VP of Expansion and Growth, Sandi Maro, at the Chicago chapter’s inaugural run.

Find out more about our Chicago launch here.

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Or visit WBEZ91.5′s website here.

The Philadelphia chapter’s featured member of the month for July found himself waging a battle within — discovering at a low point in his life that positive encouragement from others could help him realize his potential and enable him to be victorious.

David Bayo says he lived an average, stable lifestyle for the majority of his life.

He enjoyed his employment in the printing industry, working for small family printing businesses and retail stores like Staples. Like most people, Bayo had his small vices, but it was never anything more than that — until 2002.

That’s when he started experimenting with more serious and more addictive drugs.

Read more…

Self-sufficiency in combating homelessness is a value integral to Back on My Feet’s mission.

So when a discussion opened on how one of the country’s biggest metropolitan cities is tackling homelessness, and how it relates to self-sufficiency, we tuned in.

The Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness (ICPH) produced an interesting opinion brief discussing the way New York City handles its large homeless population. The conclusions reached by the institute support the merits of encouraging self-sufficiency, rather then moving quickly to housing through subsidies and expecting problems to fix themselves.

That’s a fundamental part of our mission.

Read more…