On Friday, November 20, 2020, the Lincoln Homeless Coalition held its 21st annual Hunger and Homelessness Recognition Event. UNL's Center on Children, Families, and the Law (CCFL) was recognized, along with two of its staff, Denise Packard and Michael Reinmiller.
Hunger and homelessness are a heartbreaking reality that the Lincoln Homeless Coalition continually combats. However, the coalition's work exponentially increased this last year. Since March, the pandemic has led to unprecedented food and housing insecurity. Yet throughout this crisis, committed individuals, businesses, organizations, and agencies have worked tirelessly together to support those in need.
After an unbelievably challenging year, Friday morning was an emotional celebration of these collaborative efforts. Despite the limitations of a virtual event, the connectedness between the attendees was palpable. Scott Young, from the Lincoln Food Bank, emceed the event. As the awards were handed out, a steady stream of warm congratulations and thank-yous appeared in the chat.
CCFL was honored with the Outstanding Pandemic Response Award. While presenting the award, Young stated,
"CCFL is being recognized for their exceptional leadership in the homeless services system within Lincoln and rural Nebraska during the pandemic. The team collaborated with the City of Lincoln Urban Development Dept. and Lincoln Community Foundation on establishing the Lincoln Prevention Assistance Common Fund. This fund has established Lincoln's coordinated prevention system. CCFL's data analysis guided the planning process and next steps in the implementation of crisis response systems for people facing or near homelessness. They worked alongside the Lincoln Lancaster Co. Health Dept. to identify shelter and services solutions for our community's most vulnerable populations. In the middle of this, CCFL transitioned to a new data collection platform and trained agency workers across the city. We present this Outstanding Pandemic Response award to CCFL for their extraordinary work."
Led by Senior Project Director Jeff Chambers, CCFL's Community Services Division has many projects focused on community-based services for those in need of basic and emergency help, including housing, food, and financial assistance. Chambers also serves as chair of the Continuum of Care Committee for the Lincoln Homeless Coalition. He accepted the award, saying, "On behalf of the entire UNL-CCFL Community Services team, it is our honor and privilege to work with all the dedicated professionals that are the Lincoln Homeless Coalition. UNL-CCFL looks forward to our continued work with you—to help you help those most in need in our community."
Established by CCFL, the Coordinated Entry System, All Doors Lead Home, is recognized nationally for its ability to ensure that those experiencing homelessness have access to the entire housing service system, that they are assessed in a consistent manner, prioritized according to need, and referred to the most appropriate housing resource as soon as possible.
Denise Packard is Program Manager of Coordinated Entry Systems at CCFL, as well as chair of the Coordinated Entry Committee and co-chair of the Project Connect Committee with the Lincoln Homeless Coalition. Packard works every day to build partnerships with community members and connect people with stable housing. Young commended her outstanding leadership and organization as he presented her with a certificate of recognition for her "ongoing commitment to addressing poverty and homelessness in our community."
"The people we serve drives me to do the work I do," Packard notes. "Hearing the numerous success stories fuels my fire to keep pushing. What has inspired me is my mom. Caring for others was a pillar of her life. If I can live up to a fraction of what she has done for others, I would say I have lived a successful life—like she did. I feel humbled to be recognized by members of the Lincoln Homeless Coalition. The work we do cannot be done alone, and the coalition has some great collaborators, so it is an honor to be recognized. There are so many that deserve recognition for their hard work and leadership!”
Michael Reinmiller joined CCFL in March as Education & Outreach Multi-Media Associate. He has been active in helping the Lincoln community for many years. While presenting him with the Volunteer of the Year Award, Young spoke of Reinmiller's volunteer work—providing meals at shelters, serving on Fresh Start's board of directors, being a youth mentor, putting together backpacks for homeless outreach, and starting 13 Little Free Pantries throughout Lincoln.
"I am inspired by the amount of love that Lincoln has," Reinmiller shares. "My father-in-law helped me build the Little Free Pantries, and I look forward to telling my son when he is older how his father and grandfather responded during the pandemic. Seeing the impact that all Lincolnites are making is HUGE. It tickles me that I received the Lincoln Homeless Coalition Volunteer of the Year Award—and makes me feel like I am making an impact. My mentor growing up was Jack James. He volunteered for 20-plus years at Lincoln High School. He loved people—looked eye to eye with them to let them know they were important. I hope I can do that and make folks feel special."
CCFL's daily mission is to help the helpers with a collaborative approach that will improve the lives of children and families. All the members of the Lincoln Homeless Coalition and this year's fellow recipients are doing extraordinary work to help people in our community. CCFL is thankful for its staff's daily dedication and remarkable service and grateful and honored to have the opportunity to work with community partners who are making such a positive difference every day.
More details at: http://ccfl.unl.edu