Dear Light House Community,

As we all continue to monitor and adjust to these uncertain times, I would like to thank you for being a part of our Light House family. At this moment The Light House is not in crisis, but we are taking proactive measures to prevent one and we can’t do this without your support.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented unique challenges for our most vulnerable neighbors. The individuals and families we serve will be those hardest hit by this crisis, and most will also struggle with the difficult question of how to practice social distancing without a safe place to call home. Our supportive services will be needed more than ever before as we see an unprecedented increase in neighbors unable to afford basic needs such as food, adequate housing, and medication. The Light House is prepared to allocate more resources specifically to helping those who will be negatively impacted by this public health crisis, but your financial support will be essential to these efforts.

Many of you have asked how residents in our shelter and other community clients who come through our doors can practice social distancing. To be honest, this is an extremely difficult challenge. When all current recommendations focus on social distancing, how do we continue to operate a facility that, at it’s core, has been set up to function as shared living and community spaces? Preventing the spread of COVID-19 depends on how well we can practice social distancing, and for some, physical isolation may even be required. To accomplish this, we have had to make major changes to our everyday operations, and are greatly limiting the number of people who circulate through our building.

Our individual residential dormitories are set up to house 45 residents who live and sleep in very close proximity to each-other. To keep our most high-risk clients safe and provide greater distance between resident beds, we are temporarily moving half of our individual residents into hotel rooms. We are grateful for the support of the County, especially County Executive Pittman, our partners at the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Health who are helping us with housing and safety during this difficult time. We will continue to ensure that all of our residents in our Light House building and those who will be residing in hotels will continue to have food, basic needs, and regular in person case management services.

Our staffing, food needs, and other in-kind donation needs are still ongoing, but many procedures have changed. As many of you know, we rely heavily on the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, and we are lucky to have thousands of volunteers donate their time to our mission each year. Unfortunately, in order to minimize the number of people in our buildings and follow CDC guidelines, we have suspended all on-site volunteer opportunities (with the exception of meal service). We are also operating with a limited number of on-site staff members due to health precautions, lack of school/child-care, and other issues many of you at home are facing. Our facility is housing residents who are high-risk, and because of this, only essential personnel and meal service volunteers are allowed in our building.

We have also made changes to our donation policies and greatly limited the items we can accept. For those dropping off bagged lunches or other donation items we can accept , we ask that you please ring our doorbell and leave the donations outside of our lobby door where a staff member will come out and accept them. If you are scheduled to make bagged lunches, we kindly ask that you not prepare them yourself, but instead simply donate the ingredients so that our staff can prepare them in-house.

As you may already know, our social enterprise, Light House Bistro temporarily closed its doors earlier this week. This loss of revenue is going to be tough and we hope that once our Light House Bistro opens up again you will support us as enthusiastically as you have for the past three years!

These are extraordinarily trying times and the cost of this reality will be staggering to our organization. Simply put, we need you in our corner more than ever. Many of you are asking how you can help. The best way to stand by our residents, vulnerable community clients, and staff at this time is by making a gift — you can do so by clicking here.

I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy and that you will keep your neighbors at The Light House in your thoughts and prayers.

With deepest gratitude.

Jo Ann Mattson

Executive Director, The Light House

The Light House Bistro Workforce Development Program, a restaurant and catering social enterprise created by The Light House Homeless Prevention Support Center, has been awarded a $75,000 Maryland Department of Labor Opioid Workforce Innovation Fund (OWIF) grant. This much needed support will provide individuals who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic with job training and work opportunities at Light House Bistro. Grant funds will directly empower these individuals with the skills they need to support themselves and their families, all while connecting them seamlessly to the wraparound support, mental health care, and other support services that are vital to their recovery.

For over 30 years, The Light House’s overarching goal has been to make homelessness brief and rare in central Maryland. The Light House meets the needs not only of homeless individuals and families living in their shelter, but also of those in poverty, coming out of incarceration, living in addiction treatment facilities and recovery centers, and at other shelters in the area. Over the past decade, The Light House has successfully created a continuum of employment programs to promote self-sufficiency and independence. One of these workforce development programs is Light House Bistro, which provides training and work opportunities in a supportive environment.

“Maryland Department of Labor is thrilled to support Light House Bistro’s continued efforts to empower and uplift Marylanders through our Opioid Workforce Innovation Fund,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson. “Through this funding, individuals impacted by the opioid crisis will receive in-demand training and develop the skills necessary to re-enter our state’s workforce, further supporting their recovery.”

“Light House programs have been increasingly serving people who have been directly and indirectly impacted by the opioid crisis,” stated Beth Rocca, Director of Light House Bistro Social Enterprises. “In particular, our Light House Bistro Workforce Development Program has been training and placing into permanent hire many of those struggling because of this epidemic. In fact, 82% of people in our workforce programs have been impacted by the opioid crisis, and 90% are also receiving treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders. This OWIF funding will give The Light House and Light House Bistro the opportunity to provide the next level of care and support these individuals need. Since the grant was awarded in October, 35 individuals have been beneficiaries of the funds. Each and every one of them receives career service advising from day one and establishes their career goal plan and an exit plan for permanent employment. As part of the program, they also receive work related certifications to bolster their résumés for hiring partners.”

This funding from the OWIF grant has enabled The Light House to establish a new partnership with Project Chesapeake, which provides integrated services for community members impacted by the opioid crisis. Project Chesapeake provides a broad range of mental health services to individuals seeking alcohol/drug abuse and/or mental health counseling services with treatment opportunities that result in long-term recovery and success. A licensed social worker from the Project Chesapeake staff now attends regular meetings at Light House Bistro to educate Light House Bistro staff about behavioral health services and works individually with Light House Bistro staff members to develop treatment service plans and monitor their progress. A Project Chesapeake social worker is also available to Light House Bistro staff for individual case management at Light House Bistro.

Jeremy is a great example of how this new partnership between Project Chesapeake and The Light House can pave the path to recovery and independence for vulnerable community members. Jeremy is an employee at Light House Bistro who struggled with addiction for 23 years. Last year, he made the decision to get clean and became a client of Project Chesapeake, where he was able to get the support he needed for both his addiction and mental health. He then came to Light House Bistro to fill out an application and start training and working as a line cook. He feels confident in his stability at Light House Bistro and is grateful to have the opportunity to heal and to grow while earning a living wage and receiving health benefits. He has been promoted to PM Sous Chef and just recently had the opportunity to run a “pop up” dinner at Light House Bistro on his own. He planned, created, and executed a five-course meal for 40 people, which was a great success! Jeremy’s story is a testament to how OWIF funding of partnerships between supportive workforce development programs such as Light House Bistro and mental health service providers like Project Chesapeake can rebuild lives of those struggling with addiction.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for The Light House’s new Client Choice Pantry: (L-R) Light House Culinary Assistant/ Pantry Coordinator, Liz Fleury, Light House Director of Culinary Services, Linda Vogler, Delegate Shaneka Henson, Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, Light House Supporter, Phil Gibbs, Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson

On Monday, November 25th, the Annapolis community came together at The Light House to ring in the season of giving with a special Day of Thanks event. We began the event with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the recent opening of our new Client Choice Pantry, followed by hot meals for community members in need and Thanksgiving baskets for those struggling with food insecurity. Local elected officials and other volunteer supporters came out to help prepare and serve meals and pass out Thanksgiving baskets to over 250 individuals and families. Special guests included Delegate Shaneka Henson, Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler, Councilwoman Jessica Haire, and Legislative Assistant to Councilwoman Lisa Rodiven, Yanick Parker.

Recent Anne Arundel County data reports that one-third of our neighbors can’t afford adequate food, rent, or healthcare, and that over 75,000 of our county residents struggle to access fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Through hot meals, bagged lunches, and our newly revitalized Client Choice Pantry, we provide healthy food to individuals and families struggling with food insecurity. Since opening our new Client Choice Pantry system, we have been reaching a record number of food insecure neighbors. We are now distributing an average of 3,000 pounds of food each week and are on track to provide two and a half times more food than we have distributed annually in past years!

The newly renovated Light House Client Choice Pantry, which distributed an average of 3,000 pounds of food each week to food insecure community members

Our Board Member, Sam Davies, has been volunteering his time with The Light House for decades. Davies, who has been volunteering in the pantry every Tuesday since the new building at 10 Hudson Street opened in 2010, states that he has “always told community members he meets that The Light House is the best deal in town for food assistance. With Client Choice, what The Light House offers is even better. We now have a pantry volunteer greet each client, introduce themselves to the client and lead them through the pantry. It is really gratifying to see each client look over what is available in each aisle and make their selection. It adds the dignity of choice, which people struggling with food insecurity rarely get to experience. The new system has also made pantry volunteering an even more satisfying process for all who volunteer. It’s definitely a win – win solution!”

Councilwoman Jessica Haire and Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler help prepare and serve hot lunches to the community during The Light House Day of Thanks Event

During the Thanksgiving season, we also hold a basket donation drive and provide over 250 individuals and families with baskets filled with everything needed for a full Thanksgiving meal. These Thanksgiving baskets are provided to us with the help of Anne Arundel Medical Center and other local community supporters.

Interested in celebrating the season of giving by being a light for the homeless right here in our community? Visit our Holiday Needs page to learn more about the different ways you can get involved!

(L-R) Jo Ann Mattson, Light House Executive Director, Jennifer Good, Vice President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Nicole Thompson, Light House Job Placement and Retention Specialist, Eileen Gross, President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Jenny Crawford, Light House Director of Development

The Light House Workforce Development Programs have been awarded a $75,000 grant from Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc. This much needed support will provide job training and opportunities for individuals struggling with employment barriers, empowering them with the skills they need to support themselves and their families. Grant funds will help pay for the expansion of the Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Building Trades program, the Light House Bistro social enterprise training program, and the Career Start soft-skills employment program for Light House residents.

To celebrate this grant award, representatives from Phillips Charitable Foundation visited The Light House to present Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson, with the grant check. “Employment is a critical link to stable housing, self-sufficiency, and to ending the cycle of homelessness,” stated Mattson. “Our workforce development programs promote self-sufficiency and independence for those struggling with barriers to employment. These programs rely on the generosity of our community, and we are very grateful to have this support from Phillips Charitable Foundation.”

The Light House offers a continuum of employment programs for both residents and community members. Their B.E.S.T. program provides hands-on job skills training in either Culinary Arts or Building Trades and has gradated over 350 students since it began in 2012. Career Start, which is a soft-skills program that utilizes the national, evidence based Worknet Solutions curriculum, is a key component of the B.E.S.T. program, and is also offered as an independent program for Light House residents who are unable to participate in the B.E.S.T. program. The Light House also offers real work experience for graduates of their programs through training and job opportunities at their Light House Bistro social enterprise restaurant.

About Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Phillips Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations that provide a genuine impact in the lives of others by solving problems, removing obstacles, and leading to lasting solutions. The organization targets problems where government interventions are not sufficient and economic and educational markets have failed to bring solutions. Through their grant giving they aim to bring measurable improvements in the prosperity, health, and vitality of people and communities. More information about Phillips Charitable Foundation can be found at https://phillipsgrants.org/.