PADS Executive Director Mike Wasserberg is Guest Speaker at H-F Area LWV December Meeting

The Homewood-Flossmoor Area League of Women Voters held its December meeting/holiday party in the Flossmoor home of member Peg Butler.  Forty members enjoyed tasty appetizers and desserts provided by hostesses Beth Bongard, Janet Lawrence, Joan Strohm, and Jane Brown.  Following the social time, guests gathered in the family room where President Erin Roeper officially greeted them before Co-Program Chair Karen Maurer introduced the guest speaker for the afternoon, Mike Wasserberg, Executive Director of PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter).  Mr. Wasserberg talked about the history of PADS which included several H-F League members -- Marion Brown, Marcia McConnell and Donna Moore -- who served on the original board.  He then spoke about the 16-year journey to build the first permanent supportive housing facility of its scale in the region.  

The Country Club Hills Wellness Center is located behind the movie theater on 167th Street in Country Club Hills.  A five-story building with 77 apartments including 23 studios, 34 one-bedroom units, and 20 two-bedroom units, this building houses individuals and families seeking self-sufficiency and increased income.

According to the brochure which was distributed to the audience, "Tenants have their own lease and receive the assistance of a variety of services located in the building.  Case management, a vegetable and herb garden, food pantry, culinary training center, computer lab, and classes on a variety of self-improvement subjects either are (or will be) provided for the tenants as the programs are developed."  In addition, each residential floor has a library and a TV/Community Room, and a children's playground has been built on the three-acre property. Apartments are equipped with kitchen/dining area furniture, living room/occasional seating areas and bedroom furniture including mattresses, bedframes, nightstands and dressers.

The South Suburban PADS case management team provides supportive services, including employment readiness training and resume development; financial literacy classes, referrals for substance and mental health needs, homeless prevention programs, and various life-style training classes.  Medical assistance through the Homeless Healthcare Network continues to be a staple of the PADS supportive services and is provided in the Center's first floor Wellness Clinic.

Though the Country Club Hills Wellness Center is unprecedented in size and scope in the south and southwest suburban area, it addresses only a fraction of the total need.  Therefore, the PADS sites at over 30 churches in the area continue to operate with dozens of volunteers who provide hot meals in the evening, supervision during the night as the guests sleep, breakfast in the morning, and sack lunches to take with them as they leave their respective sites.  

For more information about PADS or the CCHWC, or to volunteer at a site, contact Mike Wasserberg or Office Manager Liz Moore at 708-754-4357 or visit the website, www.sspads.org.