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Rich Bailey, Editor |
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| Fall 2009 | |||||||||||||
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ECSET
Quarterly Meeting: |
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Metropolitan Ministries: A Valued Partner, A Vital Community Agency After more than 25 years as a ministry of ECSET, Metropolitan Ministries is becoming an independent agency. ECSET is devoting its November meeting to celebrating Met Min’s mission and its growth into a respected agency with many community partners. “I’d like Episcopalians to know how much Metropolitan Ministries has grown, with their support, and how much we still need them,” said Executive Director Becky Whelchel. Metropolitan Ministries is not a small operation. From humble beginnings, Met Min has grown into a well respected and highly effective homelessness prevention agency, with many community partners. |
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In addition to providing emergency assistance with food, utilities, housing and other necessities, Met Min piloted a Supportive Services program, thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, to help its clients access other support from local and federal programs. The City of Chattanooga Department of Neighborhood Services has provided funding for a secondary pilot program. Now in partnership with Interfaith Hospitality Network and the Community Kitchen, Met Min participates in a central intake process in which people needing services are given a triage assessment of all needs and connected with appropriate programs at a variety of agencies. When the U.S. government recently dedicated stimulus funds to preventing homelessness, Met Min received more of those funds than any other local agency. The federal stimulus program, known as Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing program is a great fit with Met Min, according to Becky. Those funds are intended for people “newly marginalized” by a recent job loss. While Met Min works with many clients with longer-term economic distress, the needs are similar. |
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“We have a great blending of federal, local and faith-based funding,” said Becky. “Every donor’s dollar goes farther because of these partnerships. No funding source has to think that our work is limited to what they can fund. The need is so huge that you must have a diversity of funding sources. One source can’t possibly do it all.” “Our operations are very lean,” she added. “We have very few paid staff. We work with some incredibly dedicated, highly specialized volunteers.” She says it can be difficult speaking one-on-one with people in serious need to document their situations and determine their eligibility for services. “We have to say ‘no’ much more than we’d like, and more than we used to,” she said. But volunteers must be compassionate as well, dealing with clients at a very difficult time. “The level of sensitivity needed is very high,” she said. “Our volunteers’ commitment to their baptismal vows is what sets us apart. The volunteers won’t say that. They’re too modest. But the clients will tell you that they’re accepted and cared for here. Met Min’s core values reflect that Baptismal Covenant, and we take it quite seriously.” |
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The Episcopal
Commission of Southeast Tennessee, P.O. Box 37, Signal
Mountain, TN 37377 |
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