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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 8, 2004 Doors closing earlier at ICCA By Emily Morris Tidings Correspondent Rumors that the Interfaith Care Community of Ashland will be closing its doors are not true, said the Sharon Schreiber, the agency's executive director. "There are always rumors of our demise," Schreiber said. "We are just short staffed and funding is difficult." Due to lack of funding, the ICCA had to again reduce their hours of operation and paid staff. They trimmed their closing time from 3 to 1 p.m., and are only open from Monday to Thursday, not Friday. The ICCA already reduced their operating hours by 10 hours a week almost two years ago. Schreiber said she hopes to resume normal staff and operating hours on Nov. 15, but that is an arbitrary date. The agency is waiting for payment of services that began on July 5; a three-year contract to provide 10 beds for the Veteran Affairs. The ICCA is a daytime drop in center for homeless support, said volunteer and staff member Gary Beamer. "If someone is looking for a job they can call from here," Beamer said, adding that the center takes phone messages from potential employers and serves as a mailing address. People are allowed to shower once a week, and the center washes up to three loads of clothing a day. The facility has already been forced to limit services such as showers and laundry because the utility bills were too high, Beamer said. ICCA officials have noted that private financial donations from the community have decreased, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the same level of service. "We definitely need financial support - clothes are nice, but we need hard dollars. That's crass, but a fact of life," Schreiber said. Beamer said there is a period of time, about 4 to 6 weeks when the facility is a critical for homeless people serious about finding a job. During this time the facility is a port in the storm, said Beamer. Several ICCA success stories volunteer their time three days a week to Katie's Tasty Treats, Katie Anderson's company. Anderson found herself homeless at the age of 68, and was using the ICCA for laundry when she started to volunteer her time there. She said being at the agency made her feel useful and accepted. Anderson's helpers, Roxanna Sanders, Donna Cornelius and Sherri Ann Kohler all met at the ICCA and volunteer at the business their friend started. Three days a week they don plastic caps and aprons; chatting over the radio they create recipes and bake goods to be sold around town. They talk cheerfully about the day when there is enough money saved from the business for Anderson to buy a commercial kitchen and employ them all. These four women credit the ICCA with saving them from depression and helping them escape homelessness. Roxanna Sanders had run away from an abusive marriage and was living on the creek when she went to the ICCA for help. "It is a wonderful organization. They do resumes and help get jobs� they don't give you money, but they help you get sleeping bags, clean clothes and a shower," Sanders said. Cornelius was in a similar situation, living at a shelter in Medford when she started going to the ICCA. Now she is a sophomore in communications at Southern Oregon University, with an apartment in Ashland. "It helped me build my self-confidence and self-esteem back up, it was invaluable," Cornelius said. Kohler said she knows first hand the importance of a place to take a shower. Other people take it for granted, but lice and crabs come quickly without basic hygiene, she said. "The ICCA needs money, and this community has got it," said Anderson. "What's their problem? Wake up and smell the roses - otherwise they will be smelling something a lot worse, stinky bodies." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ciara Lyrics & Pictures libor rate Radiotelephone Communication Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Calendar lil jon eastside boyz Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems The game rapper Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams