The organization helps so many people to get out of the homelessness. The community becomes a better place with the Coalition.
Wish I had received the kind treatment that everyone is talking about on here with wheeling homeless collation. I went in there with my 5month old son and his father. We had absolutely nowhere to go or a steady place to live. We asked for help and resources and where basically turned away that they didn't have anything open and claimed any way to help us. Made me feel like the scum of the earth even though my son was clean healthy and very happy child. We had just fallen onto hard times due to loss of income and employment and family and so called friends using us for everything we had saved til it was gone. We truly needed help and the resources to get back on our feet and stable roof over our heads and got turned away because of it. Saying their budgets were minimal and too many people not enough room to place us anywhere. I was heartbroken and embarrassed that I had asked for help and got treated this way. To this day I do not understand why we were treated that way...bless and lucky for those who did receive their help resources to get back up on their feet...
GWCH provides a wonderful service to the Wheeling area. Once a fairly obscure organization, they have moved to the forefront of what public service is all about.
I have known of this organization since 2010. The staff members go above & beyond every single day to help anyone who walks through the door looking for assistance. They reach a huge area & provide such needed services for some of the most vulnerable residents of the Northern Panhandle.
I believe any organization that helps the homeless people in this country should be recognized and acknowledged! Keep up the good work!!
I have been affiliated with the GWCH since 2007; however, long before I started providing mental health services to the clients at the coalition I had heard from community members, stakeholders, providers, clients, etc., what an amazing organization the GWCH was. For many of the GWCH clients, this organization has been a Godsend; for most, a lifeline; for all, a goal-directed path toward improved situations and a higher quality of life. There has been very little turnover in staff throughout the existence of the coalition; therefore, there is consistency, continuity, and a genuine camaraderie amongst and between the administration, case management, support staff and adjunct providers that is transmitted to excellent client care. Clients often express a sense of belonging and a deep gratitude to the people of the organization for demonstrating compassion but also knowing when and how to push them toward successful transitions.
I have donated to the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless as well currently working there. I have come to know many of our clients and have heard their stories. The case managers do a terrific job of listening to the clients, asking questions to access what assistance the client qualifies to receive, and referring to other agencies for assistance. We have successful former clients who are in permanent housing still call and talk to their former case manager just to fill them in on their lives and tell them how much they appreciate the help they received from our agency.
I am a therapist and refer to this program. They get it . They help people get into housing and mantain their new housing. They do not just feed homless and give them blankets.
CHANCEmy name is judy and after leaving the valley and getting home sick after nine months I returned back to wheeling. after moving in with my daughter, I realized that was a big mistake. I felt discouraged, depressed,and above all hopeless. I was told to go to the homeless coalition to see if they could help me. I would be doing an intake, and then taken to talk to a case manager. from the time I walked through the door @ the homeless coalition until I left , I was treated with warm kindness . I was offered a cup of coffee (fixed exactly the way I like it ) I was treated like I was someone special . then I AND went back to talk to a case manager . her name was Janet and she greeted me with a warm smile . I was placed in the ymca in which Janet is still my case manager and I now reside @ Windsor manor .everyone is especially awesome . the homeless coalition has saved my life . not to mention my case manager Janet played a huge part in the outcome of my life today . I am so blessed to have come to the coalition for I don't truly know where I would be today. thank you Jesus . I am so amazed @ the way everyone works here (together, over-whelming with kindness, treating everyone with respect and making sure everyone is treated the same . everyone is always so happy working here and ready to help the next person that walks through the door. I just want to say THANK YOU JANET,KIM,ANGEL,RANA,BRANDON ALSO LISA, JORDAN AND MELISSA. ALL OF YOU ARE GOD-SENTS AND GREAT APPRECIATED BECAUSE OF ALL THE GOOD THAT THE HOMELESS COALITION DOES IS WHY I DECIDED TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO GIVE BACK A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE GREATNESS OF KINDNESS THAT IS DISPLAYED TO EVERYONE THAT WALKS THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR . THANK YOU
I moved back to Wheeling after being gone for over 20 yrs. I am a retired social worker and was looking for volunteer opportunities. I tried a few other places before I found GWHC. This is a wonderful place to volunteer! The staff are just great-and I've had the opportunity to meet all kinds of folks who come through the door. Here I am able to talk with everyone, offer coffee (we make the best!) and generally just try to allow everyone to smile a bit, regardless of their circumstances. I would encourage anyone to volunteer here.
I have served on this Board for over 30 years. I have watched this program grow from a one person operation to a state of the art program addressing all catagories of Homeless people (familes between jobs, folks sleeping on family couches, Veterans, chronic mentally ill, college students with childern) in this greater Wheeling area.
Staff and Boards Member share a dedication to facilating Homeless peoples into and thru supportive housing to independ housing. We do not just give hand outs but rather we offer a steady hand for people to pull themselves to another level of living.
There but by the grace of God goes I. This how I would like to be treated.
It has been my pleasure to serve on the board for the Homeless Coalition for the past six years, and as the board's president the past several. I have been involved with other organizations, and I have found that few have staff members who are as devoted to their work, as caring about their clients, and as dedicated to providing services to the homeless of our area. The staff's work makes our work as board members easy in one sense, but also challenges us to be more diligent and provide them the tools they need to succeed. Under the Executive Director's leadership, they have grown the organization from being reactive to proactively trying to prevent homelessness. I am happy to continue my involvement with the Coalition and will remain involved even if I leave the board.
I had been seen by the Coalition since 2003. I had a long history or addiction and mental health issues and have been in and out of shelter for years. Each time I went to the Coalition I was treated with respect and encouraged to change. I have been sober and in treatment for 2 years now and I have my own apartment. None of this would have been possible without the positive encouragement of the Coalition's staff.
I volunteered for the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless in the summer of 2009. I found the services and attention provided for the staff to be far above the norm, and I believe this is an undervalued organization in the Ohio Valley. If more places put the effort into caring for those around them like the GWCH does, the area would be a better place overall.
I have know this agency for many years and have been blessed to watch them grow to where they are now. The staff from the Director down are an inspiration to all of us when it comes to caring for those who need services the most. We could all learn from this team.
I have been involved with the Greater Wheeling Homeless Coalition as a Board Member sence the late 1980's. I have allways been impressed with what good people can do for others. This organzation has always been a collection of people both staff and volunteers that have enjoyed contributing other people's finding as better life. We shelter them and their childern as they develope and start their plan for a better Life.
I have served on the board of the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless for many years. I have rarely seen an organization so focused and passionate about its mission. It's not a "hand-out" type of organization (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's truly a hand-up organization. It works with its clients to not only help them, but teach them how to help themselves - how to become independent, productive and confident. It moves them from homelessness to self-support, from those who have hit rock-bottom to those who are rock-climbers - slowly and deliberately improving their position in life - with a goal, direction and the strength to get there. The accomplishment of this mission has been a humbling feat for me to watch over the years. I can't begin to explain in words the strength of character the staff of the Coalition possess. They have so much more than just caring hearts. Working with the homeless every day is an extremely challenging and stressful career choice - because they aren't just doing a job. People's lives actually depend on the staff and how dedicated and sincere they are about their "job". It's real, it's serious, it can be heartbreaking at times, and at other times it can be the most rewarding experience imaginable. It's worth becoming involved in. The community can help. Contact the Coalition for more information on how you can help the homeless through your contribution of either time, money or goods. The Coalition is making a difference in people's lives, and with your help they can make that difference faster and better.
I heard of the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless from a few friends. Decided to walk in and see if they could help me. I now have a roof over my head through their transitional housing program.
I have had the privilege of serving on the Executive Board for the GWCH for over ten years. I have witnessed the caring staff truly nurture & care for our clients, daily, in ways that are not in a 'job description', but are from their hearts. They listen, they advise, they put the needs of the clients above all else. In addition to the high quality services provided, the GWCH does so in creative ways, given an ever reduced budget. They are determined to provide the maximum 'hand up' to our clients with minimal resources. I am amazed at the success stories & the lives changed for the people the GWCH serves. It is an organization that makes a difference and does so with the highest level of fiduciary, moral, and personal accountability.
In the fall of 2010, I was lucky enough to be hired by the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless as Programs Coordinator. Although my employment at the Coalition was far more brief than I would have liked, I cherished the months I spent there and the people I met. Like most people, before I worked there, I thought that the Homeless Coalition was primarily a shelter for the homeless, when in fact, it is not. While the Coalition does work in conjunction with several other agencies, including local shelters, it's primary function and goal, is to end homelessness. When a person who is homeless becomes a client of the Coalition, they avail themselves to, many programs that have the potential to truly change their lives. The Coalition staff works closely with individuals to provide them with immediate shelter, and for those who qualify, help in finding long-term housing and even permanent housing, all while providing education and support in essential life skills, such as securing employment, learning to budget and navigating the often-confusing path to earned government benefits. The staff at the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless are a rare bunch, always ready with a warm greeting and a cup of the city's best coffee. They truly are the kindest, most compassionate people I have ever worked with, treating each client with respect and dignity. Every employee makes it his/her mission to identify the best, most effective options available to help each client find his/her way to a better life. Clients who ask for, and receive, assistance are required to actively partake in making life changes, in educational opportunities, and to serve their own hours of service to better their living environments or that of those in the community. They are constantly seeking out new programs that may benefit the homless population of the Ohio Valley, or crafting new ways to pay for the continuation of programs that have proven successful in the past. In short, any individual who finds themselves down on their luck and chooses to step inside the doors of the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, has already taken the first step to a better life.
I have volunteered through unpaid internships at the Coalition twice, and have had a positive experience each and every time. The Coalition is one of those agencies that takes their mission to heart; everyday, the case managers and staff focus their work towards ending the cycle of homelessness permanently in the community. I was blessed that I had the opportunity to intern here, and be inspired by the strength and resiliency of Coalition clients, supported continually towards achieving their goals by skilled, caring staff.
Married couple homeless for 8 years, traveled the U.S. working day labor, construction, clean up disasters. Came back home to Wheeling, stayed at the Salvation Army. We then went into the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless' residential program where the staff helped us get our WV identification cards, our birth certificates, marriage license and WV medicaid mental health services and a doctor. We are now receiving SSI and just moved into a private market apartment.
I have been homeless at least 8 times before 2008. In October of 2008, I got into the Residential program at the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, it saved my life.
I am a student at a nearby university. I am volunteering for this non-profit as a receptionist, making coffee, signing clients into the agency and answering the phone, as well as doing any filing or odd jobs that need completing while I'm here. It has been extremely rewarding as I get to interact and speak directly with clients on a regular basis. I have always felt welcome and appreciated as a volunteer by both clients and Coalition personnel alike. Volunteering at the Coalition has proved genuinely enjoyable, and has given me valuable insight into the way non-profit agencies operate and provide aid to clients. The Coalition has provided me with ample training and guidance to best help them.