Helpers working hard for homeless

“Home” has a new meaning for Kristy Petersen and her family.

For three months, home was a series of motel rooms, a collection of Rubbermaid totes that contained the essentials.

Now, Petersen and two of her three children, Jasen Petersen, 10, and Raquelle Proffitt, 15, are settling into a roomy, three-bedroom apartment near downtown Coeur d’Alene.

“It’s a big change from one room with a bed, a microwave and a bathroom,” said Raquelle, looking around her new living room. “It’s nice to just sit down and have an actual dinner with everyone.”

The Petersens’ story is not unusual, at least not these days. Homeless advocates and service providers in North Idaho report seeing more homeless people each week. More of them are families with children.

In a survey conducted Jan. 29 through Feb. 4, organizers identified 431 homeless people in Kootenai County, not including those living in a shelter or in transitional housing. Of those, more than half identified themselves as being in a family; 19 percent were children. In a similar 2007 survey, organizers identified 380 homeless people living in the five Panhandle counties.

Last year, the Coeur d’Alene School District identified nearly 240 students as homeless. Patty McGruder, the homeless outreach coordinator for Dirne Health Clinic in Coeur d’Alene, guesses that number is higher.

“I have two new families a day that I work with that are not part of that number,” she said. “I am seeing a lot more families.”

McGruder and others who work with the homeless say the mix of circumstances is broad. There are families that fall under the stereotypical picture of “homeless” – they’re dealing with mental illness, disability or addiction. But more and more don’t fit those categories.

“We had one family that had one medical bill and one car accident too many,” said Cindy Wood, director of Family Promise.

Bob Driscoll, a navigation services specialist with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said he sees more families who have not traditionally been a part of the system.

“These are parents who are professionals or economically well-to-do, and their lives have dramatically fallen apart and they’re looking for some assistance,” he said.

The definition of “homeless” extends well beyond those living in cardboard boxes down by the tracks. They’re people living in shelters or in their cars, even in winter, advocates say. Even those living with relatives and friends can be considered homeless.

“Yes, they have a roof over their heads, but it’s not permanent, and it can be taken away from them at any time,” said James Curb, homeless liaison with the Coeur d’Alene School District. “When it’s taken away, they don’t know what to do.”

There’s quite a bit of help for homeless families among an informal network of service providers who talk regularly, share information and refer clients back and forth.

“The beauty is in the subtleties,” Curb said. “We’re looking for a long-term plan. Everybody helps a little bit. And more and more it’s not money that’s going to fix the problem. These people need a good friend, a good mentor and a good opportunity to prove themselves.”

St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho is the largest homeless-serving agency in North Idaho, with 24 programs aimed at helping low-income and homeless people.

It’s his gym now

It’s been called the old gym or the practice gym. Now it’s Jim Hatch’s gym.

Cheney High School honored the late, longtime teacher, coach and athletic director by naming the old gym after him Friday night during halftime of the boys varsity game. Hatch died Nov. 4, 2007. He was 80.

“Sometimes you still feel him in this gym,” said Jim Missel, assistant principal of activities and athletics at the school. Missel said the decision to name the old gym after Hatch and not the new gym was because the old gym was where Hatch spent his time.

“This is his gym,” Missel said.

Hatch started his career at Cheney High School in 1964 as the football coach. His wife, Betty, said they came to Cheney after a couple of years in Huntington, Ore., and Harrington, Wash. Hatch earned his master’s degree at Eastern Washington University before the family moved to Carnation, Wash., where he taught for three years.

When they moved to Cheney they became part of the community.

All four of their children, James Hatch, Jana Berg, Lori Wyborney and Krissann Hatch, were involved in sports at Cheney High School. The couple’s granddaughter, Jenna Hatch, plays on the varsity girls basketball team this year.

The two went to every game even after Jim retired in 1988. Betty said that she and her husband loved attending any game of any sport. Even when they traveled around the country, if they found out there was a game, they would often stop and watch. Even after Jim’s death, she still attends the games.

Library buzz builds

Liberty Lake Library employees and patrons alike are in a state of excitement as they anticipate the opening of the new library March 2.

The library – with humble beginnings as a room of donated books staffed by volunteers – has been bursting at the seams at its current location, 1421 N. Meadowwood Lane, for years.

The new building at 23123 E. Mission Ave., which also includes space for the Police Department, will triple the library’s space. “I just can’t wait for people to see,” said library director Pamela Mogen. She spent the past few months scouring the region for used bookshelves and picked out carpet and paint.

The city purchased the building last summer after a bond to build a new library and community center failed. The building, which was part cavernous concrete garage with hoses dangling from the ceiling and part office space carpeted in pink, has been heavily remodeled over the past several months.

The new library will have offices, a study room, a reading room and a conference room available for public use – none of which exists in the current library. The meeting room, which is already attracting interest, also boasts a refrigerator and a dishwasher. The reading room will have overstuffed chairs for a soothing reading experience. “For those who like the old-fashioned, quiet library, this is for them,” she said.

An Internet cafe will adjoin the young-adult area, equipped with giant bean bag chairs. The library board is also considering changing its computer policy to allow users to play Internet games as long as nothing is downloaded. “That’s not a done deal yet,” she said.

The new library has a room for the children’s collection. “We’re changing over from traditional shelves to having bins,” Mogen said. “It’s at their level; they can see it. We think it’s going to be much more kid-friendly.”