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Kelsea Vaillancourt
HDF 315 MW 2PM
9/24/16
Resource Research

The first organization that really stood out to me is Mcrest, an organization of churches of
varying denominations that have agreed to open up their doors at night to the homeless of
Macomb County. They provide meals, lodging, life-skills training, housing assistance, jobreadiness training, and emergency shelter 365 days a year. The organization started in 1988 as an
idea for a homeless day-camp, but with growing popularity, they switched gears and became an
overnight shelter-program. They have grown from just a handful of participating churches to
almost 90 in Macomb County, helping up to hundreds of people a day. Their mission is to
provide homeless and displaced individuals opportunity for successful transition to
independence.
They are run and operated solely by volunteers and donors. They get offers for work or
food from many people who have a passion for helping the homeless as well. Volunteers can
work directly inside the churches at night or can volunteer their property (the church itself) to be
used for an overnight shelter. The board of directors for this organization is also comprised of
volunteers. One who would like to volunteer or donate to Mcrest can go online, call, or visit to
find out more information.
The biggest challenges that Mcrest and those who volunteer face are the obvious
hardships of seeing and dealing with people who are so helpless and down on their luck. Their
volunteers have meetings to pump each other up after all of the sad things they have seen and

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assisted with that day. They want to help so much more than they can. Its also difficult to
follow-up with a homeless person. Sometimes people touch the hearts of volunteers who would
like to be able to see how they are doing once in a while, but most of the homeless people who
are helped at Mcrest do not have a consistent way to contact them. Some other challenges that
they have listed on their website include:

Educating the community about the invisible faces most affected by homelessness today
Creating housing and stabilization resources in an economic environment that has left

thousands of single women and children without a home of their own

Creating affordable housing options to address the growing homeless population
Continue to raise the standard of care and navigating the stages of change for homeless
men, women, and children in the great State of Michigan
Reflection:
Mcrest is an incredible organization and group of people who put a lot of time and effort

into making sure these challenges are faced and tackled. The people who volunteer their time
or donate money are making a large difference in Macomb County and helping hundreds of
people. By researching this organization, I learned that there is a group that houses homeless
people overnight in my area, which is something I didnt know existed there before. It was
interesting to me that they started as a homeless day-camp, because Im not exactly sure
what that is or what it would be like. I think they made the right decision by changing it to
an overnight service, because that is something that the homeless population really needs
more of. I am very proud of this organization and am so happy that they are so passionate
about helping those in need in my community. I hope they keep up the amazing work for a
long time and continue to grow. The goals of this organization seem to be pretty consistent
with what weve discussed in class. We talked about different reasons that some human

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services are around and how they function to make sure needs are met. This organization
really touches on the community aspects. They strive to be kind of like a big family, between
volunteers and those they serve. They want the community to work as a family system itself,
to have members of the community have the backs of other members and make sure that
everyone is taken care of.
MCREST
20415 Erin, Roseville, MI 48066
Phone: 586-415-5101

April Fidler, Executive Director

586-415-5107
Aprilf@mcrest.org

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The next organization that I researched and thought was an important resource for
people in the Hope Center in Macomb, Michigan. This organization was established in
2006, and has been consistently helping people for ten years now. They are dedicated to
helping those in need in their community in many different ways. Their mission is to
transform lives by providing the immediate needs of individuals and families through
outstanding service, collaboration, and innovation. Their purpose and desire is to address
the hunger crisis in Macomb County and respond to the needs of individuals and families.
They meet this need through their no-cost, client-choice food pantry and compassionate
care center. They offer a marketplace pantry offering a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables,
meat, and staple items for individuals and families to choose from. They also offer
spiritual guidance during pantry hours and things like free legal aid and veterans services.
Their services are offered to any household (or homeless individuals) in need in Macomb
County.
Hope Center assists hundreds, if not thousands of people every month. They see
many different people and families come through their doors with many different needs,
so they try to be as accomidating as they can to each and every person they meet. It is a
volunteer-driven organization. They rely on volunteers and donors to provide services
and products for those who need them. They require about 30 volunteers per day to keep
the place up and running. Volunteer tasks include stocking, host, receptionist, greeter,
warehouse, and much more. Companies can also get involved and donate to the center.
Lately, it has been very difficult for them to find volunteers and willing helpers, so they
may unfortunately be shutting their doors for good, come November.

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The biggest challenge that Hope Center of Macomb County is facing at the
moment is funding and donations. As states above, they may be led to close their doors
due to lack of resources. It will be a great loss to the community if they close down. Its
also been hard for the volunteers who werent quite sure what they were going to see
when they got involved. Many of them are deeply saddened by seeing people so
desperate for food, because they can only give them so much. Its also very disheartening
to see children come through the door who havent eaten in days.
Reflection:
I found it interesting that this organization offers spiritual guidance to families
while they pick out food and resources. This is not something that I would have
previously considered to do during that time but it seems to work for them and those who
come in for assistance. The spiritual guidance can really lift someone up who needs an
extra boost or words of encouragement for the day. I was happy to find yet another
incredible organization in my area who cares about my community and the people in it. It
puts my mind at ease just a little bit knowing that people are being cared for and taken
care of. This is an excellent example of a self-less human services agency. They have had
trouble with the allocation of their resources, which may be part of the reason they are
struggling right now. They have been so eager to help that they did not fully plan for the
future or set long-term goals for themselves as an organization. That could have helped
them a lot in the long run.
info@hopecentermacomb.org
586-294-4673
Hope Center in Macomb, 33222 Groesbeck Highway, Fraser, MI 48026