November 8, 2008
Agency hosts phone service for homeless
By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
A free voice mail system is now available in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to help homeless or needy people find jobs, make medical appointments and connect with social services.
The service, called Community Voice Mail (CVM), will be offered to clients of local social service agencies.
The Lower Columbia Community Action Program is the host organization, said CAP’s Mike Chapman, who is managing the local CVM program.
Clients are given a voice mail phone number, password and instructions on how to use the system. Potential employers, doctors, schools, churches, social service agencies, friends and family can call the phone number and leave messages. The voice mailbox recipient can call from a pay or other phone and retrieve the messages.
The program is not free telephone service, and it is offered only through social service agencies. These organizations determine who needs CVM and signs them up for it. People cannot come to CAP and apply for it individually, Chapman said.
The CVM system started in 1991 in Seattle, which hosts the national program’s headquarters. There are 46 locations throughout the United States, including 12 in Washington.
Grant money funds the program nationally. Chapman estimates it will cost $60,000 to $70,000 to fund the local service, which will also be paid for by grants.
The local CVM program started this month, and Chapman said only a few clients have signed up so far. But he envisions 200 people taking part by the end of 2009.
People who are homeless or transitioning to homelessness will benefit from the program, Chapman said.
"For most everyone, one of their primary objectives is that they are looking for employment, especially in this area," he said.
While some social service agencies provide these people with short-term or limited-service cellular phones, those can be hard to keep charged for someone who is homeless.
"CVM is very reliable," he said. "It’s the phone number to put on the resume. ... It’s their stable point of contact for these people."
In addition, women or men in domestic violence situations can get CVM and have access to a secure and private line.
"They need the confidentiality. ... I think very soon the Emergency Support Shelter will become a partner. Many of their clients will be able to use the service," said Chapman, speaking of the Kelso home for battered women.
Other area agencies, such as the Department of Emergency Management, are excited about CVM, Chapman said. The system can notify all the clients in emergencies and other situations, he said.
"We have the ability to send a broadcast message to all CVM users," Chapman said.
For example, he said, when Hurricane Ike was bearing down on Houston, the Houston-based CVM manager sent a message to more than 2,000 of the city’s homeless who were using the Community Voice Mail system, directing them to appropriate emergency shelters.
"A majority of them weren’t even aware of the impending hurricane," Chapman said.
Safety aside, the service also meets an emotional need for the clients who take part, he said.
"CVM provides to all these people with a sense of dignity," Chapman said. "It works across a lot of boundaries."
For more information about CVM, go to the CAP Web site, www.lowercolumbiacap.org; contact Mike Chapman at (360) 425-3430, extension 247; or send an e-mail to mikec@lowercolumbiacap.org