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CHRISTIAN SERVICE: MCREST
 Last revised:
January 14, 2012 12:17 PM
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"Whatsoever you do for the lest of my brothers, that
you do unto me..." ~Based on Matthew 5:3-12" |
On this Page: MCREST
Activities | MCREST Diary | About
MCREST
| Macomb
County Rotating Emergency Shelter (MCREST) Activities
 |
St. Blase participates in this homeless shelter for one week during
the summer months by providing daily meals, a place to sleep and shower, and transportation
to jobs, training programs and other day sites. The success of the shelter rests
on the response from the parish. Watch the bulletin or this site for specifics
regarding this ministry. Contact Barb Francis through the Parish Office at
(586) 268-2244. | Its that time
of year again as we begin planning for our annual week of hosting the Macomb County
Rotating Emergency Shelter (MCREST). The chairpersons of each of the committees
have begun to coordinate their efforts for another successful week. Each committee
is again looking for individuals to meet the tasks of each day, so we are asking
the parish community to consider being involved with MCREST. If you feel called
to this ministry, then contact Mary Dumm through the Parish Office and your name
will be passed on to the appropriate chairperson. For those of you who signed
up to help out with MCREST last Fall with the Time and Talent Program, please
know that the committee chairpersons will be calling you to see what area youd
like to be involved in. - OVERNIGHT SUPERVISION:
At least
4 individuals per night are needed to provide minimal supervision and assistance
to guests. Hours are approximately 10:00 pm to 6:00 am.
- TRANSPORTATION:
To provide transportation to or from St. Blase for MCREST guests who
do not have their own transportation or are unable to use the public system. Hours
are approximately 4:00-6:30 PM and 6:30-8:00 AM.
- Check-In:
Keep track of guests as they arrive, as well as bed-numbers, medications, electronics,
wake-up times, other needs. Hours are approximately 5:307:00 PM.
- LAUNDRY:
To collect towels and washcloths on a daily basis and have them laundered;
to offer at least once in the course of the week an opportunity for guests to
have their clothes laundered; and to have bedding ready for pickup. - KITCHEN:
To provide dinner, breakfast, and sack lunches for guests. - FACILITIES:
To make sure social center, gathering space, bathrooms, and smoking area
are set up and ready in time of guests arrival; to pack up mattresses, bags,
etc. and provide general cleanup when guests leave.
| MCREST REQUEST Do you have
a valuable life skill such as resume writing, budget planning, job interviewing,
etc., that you would be willing to share with our MCREST guests during the week
of July 8th-15th If so, please contact Barb Francis the Parish Office
to make arrangements to share your talents with those in need. |
MCREST NEEDS BOARD MCREST is right around
the corner and we are looking forward to spending a week helping feed and shelter
those who are less fortunate than we are. Again this year we are asking for your
generous support. You will soon see donation boards up in the gathering space
asking for all kinds of donations from food to cash for bus tickets. Our guests
would really appreciate if you could take a tag or two. Please remember to ATTACH
your tag to your donated item. This allows us to determine what our needs continue
to be as we go through the week. This is one area where our parish really shines
in living our our parish mission of being "A Welcoming Catholic Community
where the love of Jesus Christ is learned and lived, sung and shared." Thanks
in advance for your support! |
| About
MCREST (Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team)
 |
St. Blase participates in this homeless shelter for one week during
the summer months by providing daily meals, a place to sleep and shower, and transportation
to jobs, training programs and other day sites. The success of the shelter rests
on the response from the parish. Contact Barb Francis through the Parish Office
at (586) 268-2244. | HISTORY Until
1988, many of the homeless from Macomb County were forced to go to Oakland County
for shelter due to the lack of sufficient number of overnight shelter beds in
our County. At that time, the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (MCREST)
was formed as a coalition of Churches willing to shelter the homeless in their
buildings. This coalition of Churches began to provide overnight shelter for homeless
persons and/or families during the coldest winter months. During the first year,
twenty-three Churches participated in the program and provided for only the very
basic needs of the homeless during the most severe weather. MCREST
is unique in that the homeless are actually sheltered in each participating Church,
not a permanent shelter building. Linens, beds, and other needed equipment and
supplies are provided by the organization and are actually transferred each week
from Church to Church by the Churches. The MCREST Board of Directors
continually strives to recruit additional participating Churches. For the 2003
year, we provided shelter for all 52 weeks with 80 Churches actually housing the
homeless, with two Churches running concurrently for 32 weeks during the season.
Many Churches that house the homeless have other local Churches help with food,
transportation and overnight help during their week. During the coldest and hottest
months of the year, up to 60 men, women and children of all ages are sheltered
every evening. We have been honored to have a tribute to MCREST
published in the Congressional Record of the United States of America to celebrate
our tenth anniversary and have recently celebrated our 15th anniversary.
MISSION AND GOALS MCREST was founded to provide temporary
shelter for the homeless in Macomb County who agree to remain alcohol and drug
free during their time in the program. Participating Churches agree to open their
facilities and their hearts to the homeless for a period of one week per year
and provide a safe, clean environment from 6:00 p.m. each evening to 8:00 a.m.
each morning. They further agree to provide: three meals per day, showers, and,
when possible, laundry assistance and transportation, especially for those who
are working. MCREST works with other service organizations in attempting to enable
guests to plan for and implement permanent solutions to their situation.
While our dream is to no longer be needed because every person has a home,
our experience over the years has taught us that the homeless will be with us
for a long time to come. Our goals, therefore, are to be able to provide shelter
throughout the year and to provide as many beds as needed for the homeless in
Macomb County. Although we provide shelter for 35 to 60 persons almost every night,
we are usually full and must turn people away. In May of 1998 MCREST moved into
its own building at 145 Colonial Court, Mount Clemens, MI 48043. We have two full-time
and one part-time Case Workers, a Program Information Specialist, an Executive
Director and most recently, a part-time Case Manager to work with the participants
in our Choose A Path (CAP) program. The CAP program is a 90-day program for up
to ten participants who work with our Case Manager to set goals and reach outcomes
towards self-sufficiency. Measurable outcomes for this program reached 42% for
those who obtained housing. The norm is 15% for an emergency shelter. From
the MCREST website. | 
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St. Blase 12151 E. Fifteen Mile Rd. Sterling
Heights, MI 48312 Phone: (586) 268-2244
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