Page 87 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2018- Online Magazine

HONORING J.T. & MARGARET

T ALKINGT ON

The J.T. and Margaret

Talkington Endowment

RED SHIELD HOME
TRANSITIONAL LIVING

PROGRAM BY KIMBERLY LUEB

Hope signifies what the J.T. and Margaret
Talkington Foundation has given to
the individuals and families served
by The Salvation Army’s Red Shield
Home Transitional Living Program. On
February 20, 2013, The Salvation Army
accepted a considerable endowment gift
to fund a portion of the annual operations
of the Red Shield Home from the J.T.
and Margaret Talkington Foundation.
Since the completion of the Red Shield
Home Transitional Living facilities, this
endowment gift has supported over 56
individuals and families as they have
worked to increase their education level Salvation Army’s Red Shield Home does not discriminate: we
and/or job skills in order to remove the threat of homelessness will serve any individual or family, as long as they are willing to
from their lives long-term. Currently, there are 14 individuals commit to the program.
and families being served. Just as each individual and family is unique, so is our means of
The J.T. and Margaret Talkington Foundation gift has allowed assistance – everything from helping a single mother devise a
us to provide basic needs, connection to resources and intensive strategy for paying her monthly bills to providing information
case management for individuals and families in our program. and job resources for a laid-off person looking for work. In
This gift has also allowed us to expand our focus from serving every case, The Salvation Army’s focus is on providing our
to solving the root causes of chronic, intergenerational poverty program beneficiaries with the resources and support they
for our clients. need in order to renew hope as they steadily rebuild their lives.
The average stay at the Red Shield Home is 97 days, and our
Goals of the Red Shield Home Transitional Living Program are: goal is to rehouse within one year. Once the client is ready
Increased Skills, Education and Income to be rehoused, we will help pay the first month’s rent, utility
Increased Life Skills including budgeting, parenting, social deposits and basic furniture needs.
skills, emotional stability, etc. The J.T. and Margaret Talkington Endowment will continue to
Residential Stability provide HOPE to individuals and families who are working to
ensure a positive future for themselves and their families. The
Our methodology for achieving these results depends on the Salvation Army is forever grateful for the J.T. and Margaret
following key elements: Foundation’s investment in the lives of those we serve.
Instilling Hope Through Collaborative Coaching with Families
The typical Red Shield Home family is composed of a single Hope
mother, in her mid-thirties, with two to three children. Every
day, she is faced with the daunting task of deciding whether to
pay for food, electricity or medical needs from her allocation
of meager resources. She is employed in a low-wage, part- One word that touches all lives.
time position, without benefits. Her average annual income is
$13,549. Hunger and food insecurity are this family’s reality. Without it, the smallest of challenges become
The average age of clients served is 30 years old, with clients
ranging from children to adults who are 63 years old. insurmountable.
Instilling Hope Through Compassionate, Skilled Casework
Caseworkers meet one-on-one with participating clients, With it, a family can transform its future for the better.
providing intensive case management in order to collaboratively
identify the obstacles that they face and partner with them to Hope changes everything.
best determine how these challenges can be overcome. The

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