More on shelter funding...

This morning I am working at the shelter I work at on Sundays for 24hrs straight and I certainly have to admit that we are feeling the affects fo the closure of one of the SafePlace's shelter. Our shelter here is full to capacity and we have no available funding for hotel stays fro overflows from the shelter. Within a few hours of being here this morning, I had more than 4 hotlinge calls of people (families) looking for shelter from DVSA (dometic violence sexual abuse) situations; one though called on the hotline looking for a place to do a rapid detox. Of the families looking for shelter, one was a man with his four children. Normally, as in the past, we would have been, at least, able to put him up in the hotel and offer him outreach, counseling, and other community services. We didn't get FEM fundings for this 2005 year; therefore, our hands are tied.

I am thankful that we are able to house all the women and children that we have at this time -- 12 adult women and 12 children. I just wish I had more power to more people. If only I had a millions dollar budget to work with myself to get a shelter set up and running!! The thing that motivates the staff here is seeing the success stories moving forward and out of the cycle of abuse.

On another note, talked to Steve W., Kaplan University's Criminal Justice careeer advisor about revising my resume and offering a direction for my career. We agreed that, with my paralegal background and experience here at this crisis center, I may be a perfect fit for working in a victim services area at a police or sheriff's departments. It is a role that not everyone could handle.

Ironically, I have been accepted into the Cedar Park Citizen's Academy starting next Tuesday for the next eleven weeks with a graduation ceremony to be held on April 19th with dinner. The training will be great -- offering training in a variety of criminal justice topics:

Feb 1 - Orientation and Department Tour
Feb 8 - So you want to be a Cedar Park Police Officer
Feb 15 - Community Services Division
Feb 22 - Basic Patrol Procedures II
Mar 1 - Traffic Enforcement
Mar 8 - Criminal Investigations Overview
Mar 15 - Special Response Team/Negotiations Team
Mar 22 - Crisis Intervention/Communications
Mar 29 - Cedar Park Fire Department
Apr 5 - Police K-9 Patrol/Undercover and Narcotics Interdiction
Apr 12 - Firearms and Law Enforcement Weaponry
Apr 19 - Graduation Ceremony

These topics will pair nicely with my eJournal I am working on for this term. Note: This is training for a voluntee program -- not a paid position; however, it would be great if it did allow me to get a foot in the door -- even just a toe!