16 Dec 09 Christmas Banquet for the Homeless

The Orlando Union Rescue Mission is having a Christmas Banquet for the homeless on Wednesday December 23, 2009, at their Men’s Division which is located at 410 W. Central Blvd. in Orlando.

Serving times will be 11:30 AM to about 2 PM.

16 Dec 09 Homeless Memorial Service

The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida held a candlelight memorial on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, in the chapel at First Presbyterian Church in Orlando to commemorate the lives of 29 homeless people who died in Central Florida during the past year. Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart, and Senior Pastor David Swanson of First Presbyterian Church were guest speakers.

This ceremony is held annually by the Homeless Services Network on or around to December 21st, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, to recognize and pay tribute to the homeless people who have died on our streets or in our shelters from illness or conditions directly related to their homelessness. In many cases this service is the only commemoration of the life and passing of these individuals.

Advocates, friends, community leaders and service providers hope this event brings attention to the need for more resources for rent and utility assistance to prevent homelessness and the development of drop-in centers and additional shelter beds for the growing number of homeless in Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties.

More than 125 cities across the nation sponsor similar events including vigils, graveside ceremonies, plays, marches and special religious services to commemorate National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, which is organized by the National Coalition for the Homeless. This was the eighth annual vigil to be held in Orlando.

Those we honored:

Tony Billingsley	Joe Morgan
Joel Boner	Robert Doyle Nail
Ricky Burdette	Bruce Nutter
William Carr	Ricky Lee Price
Wallace Chance	Brenda Kay Revel
John “Jack” Clements	Juan Izet Sarat
McArthur Davis	Raymond Setti
Michael Downs	Charles Shafer
William Gabbert	Roger Stickland
Robert Godfroy	Thomas Strickland
Rita Guinn	James Teftller
John Helsabeck	J.R. Torres
Paul Jenkins	Steve van Gorder
Ellis Johnson	Luther Walker
Benjamin Lavin	Wendell Wright
Ora James Light	Michelle (no last name; client of Calvary Assembly)
Nestor Lopez

Brian Nichols, Pastor, First Vagabonds Church

14 Dec 09 ‘Tis The Season For Giving

HSN is giving away its old copier, an old, but sturdy and serviceable Panasonic FP-7750. It’s black&white only and doesn’t have any really fancy features. We are giving it away because we did upgrade to a unit that does have fancy features. We kept this one around as a backup, but it’s really just taking up space now. We think that someone out there will benefit from having it more than we will.

We would like to give it away to an agency that is a 501c3 nonprofit that participates in the Continuum of Care of homeless services. Whomever wants it will be responsible for transporting it and for the unit’s ongoing maintenance. We do know of a local company that still supports the product and we’ll even throw in a free copy of the owner’s manual.

If you are interested in having this copier, please send an email to resources {at} hsncfl(.)org by January 20.  We expect several agencies will ask for this unit, in which case, we’ll have a public drawing to determine who receives it.

09 Dec 09 Homeless Remembrance 12/15/2009

Please help us remember the homeless who died in 2009!

On Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 9:00 a.m., HSN will be holding a brief memorial service in partnership with First Presbyterian Church of Orlando to honor the more than 20 homeless men, women and children who died on the streets of our region this year. In most cases, this memorial service is the only one held to mark their lives and their passing. Some family members of those who died will be attending.

Please come to the memorial service from 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church’s chapel at 106 East Church Street, Orlando, FL 32801. Senior Pastor David Swanson and Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart will be speaking, as will representatives of the City of Orlando. Most importantly, a candle will be lit for each homeless person who died this year.

We know it’s challenging to find the time to attend yet another function during the holiday season – but this one is a unique occasion. We hope to see you there. You can find directions online or call HSN for more information (407-893-0133 x107).