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DAYSPRING BALTIMORE |
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Letter from the Executive Director and Board President
1997, the first year that Dayspring operated as an independent organization, fills us with memories of joy and courage. While still a part of the YWCA, Dayspring had opened The Children’s Place, 24-hour loving care for children whose parents were in treatment for substance abuse, and began providing support services to families in permanent supportive housing. In addition to operating these programs, during the first year Dayspring developed the mission and vision statements, created its logo, and provided scattered site transitional housing while awaiting construction of the Dayspring Village facility. Partnerships with Coalition for Homeless Children members continued and new partnerships were developed with Hopkins School of Nursing (the nursing students provided training for Children’s Place staff and permanent supportive housing residents) and with students from Johns Hopkins University (who volunteered to work with children’s groups). The Executive Director, Dr. Pamela Talabis, served on the Early Head Start Advisory Board and was Co-Chair for the Baltimore City Early Childhood Interagency Committee. There was joy seeing children’s lives transformed as they came into a stable environment and learned to depend on adults who provided a safe place for them. It took courage to work through the problems that ensued when construction on the building took much longer than HUD anticipated and the real possibility existed that HUD would take back the funding. Joy came later in February 2001 when the building was finished and we began service for transitional housing residents that continues to this day. Since that first year Dayspring’s budget has increased from $541,587 to a budget today of just over $4,000,000. In our first full year, we served just over 100 individuals. In 2009 we are providing services for over 600 individuals. Although the Children’s Place closed when funding diminished, our program remains committed to ensuring that children’s needs are met. Women with children enter our transitional housing to receive treatment and support services that work to keep the family together. From the beginning, Dayspring understood that substance abuse was a family disorder and that children needed treatment as much as their parents did. In addition to the children’s programs within the housing program, Dayspring has added service to community children through our Head Start programs. In 2007 Dayspring made the decision to become a delegate for the Herring Run Head Start, adding 153 children to the 102 children that are part of the Dayspring Head Start Program. We joyfully welcomed Herring Run children, parents and staff into the Dayspring family. A landmark event in 2007 was Dayspring’s receipt of certification to become a treatment center in addition to providing housing and support services. The Dayspring staff members were already providing many of the services included in a treatment program so with a few adjustments it was possible to take on this additional service. Our greatest pride in operating the program is recognizing the courage of the participants of Dayspring who face overwhelming barriers—becoming and staying clean; learning to parent children who have not always had joyful memories: learning how to create new memories of joy and rituals of meaning for their family; tackling school and job challenges to provide financial stability for their family; and overcoming the health, mental health and other myriad problems that stem from poverty, homelessness and substance abuse. It’s not an easy road; it is a real challenge every day for Dayspring families to become all they can become. We salute their courage and we look forward to continuing to support their efforts. Thank you, friends of Dayspring, for your caring and support of Dayspring families. We encourage your ongoing program participation, through contributions of your time, talent, and financial support. We appreciate your interest in our families. Thankfully yours,
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