Letters to the Editor

Help the Wallace House shelter
Editor:   
Wallace House Emergency Shelter was officially opened on March 27, 1982 and was immediately used as an overnight shelter for abused women, children and runaways. It was also used as a meeting place for such non-profit groups as AA, NA, Al-A-Teen, Boy Scouts, senior citizens and professional counselors for all ages. Thanks to generous donors like you we provide our needy citizens on a daily basis with items such as bus passes, food & clothing vouchers, back packs, sleeping bags, toiletries, and showers.
We are reaching out to you in this season of giving to continue your financial support that allows us to serve our community’s veterans, victims of domestic violence, at-risk children and teens, the elderly, the mentally ill, and the disabled.
Since Wallace House opened we have provided over 30,000 services.
• Our Emergency Shelter is typically full to capacity and there is a waitlist. In any given year we will provide 3,600 bed nights in the Shelter and emergency overflow at local hotels. Critical case care management is also provided to these clients in order to help them stabilize their lives.  This case management includes helping them to obtain permanent income and housing.
• Transitional Housing:. Rooms are provided for individuals and families who are working towards obtaining regular housing. Each client agrees to work toward pre-established goals. Wallace House transitional clients can stay for up to two years, while they work and save money, or attend school.  The goal is for these clients to move into more permanent housing when they graduate from the program.
• Permanent Supportive Housing for the chronically homeless and disabled: Far too many people living in Sonoma County are unable to maintain permanent regular housing because of mental and/or physical disabilities. We help these clients gain financial independence and social traction.
We are deeply grateful for your past support for our most vulnerable citizens and hope you will give generously again this year.
May you have a blessed holiday season.  With hope for a better future for all.
P.S. You can also donate online at http://www.wallacehouse.org/donations.php.
Nancy Harris Dalwin, Member, Board of Directors
One hour bus driver
Editor:   
In the Nov.21 Reveille, James Conners wrote that the children of Cloverdale have not been able to use the Boys & Girls Club on Cloverdale Blvd. for its after school program since last April because the school district has been unable to hire a qualified school bus driver to transport them there. What a shame!
Mr. Jorgensen, superintendent of schools, informed me that it was not a question of funding. The bus driver position is in the budget. The position pays $15 an hour for 1 (one!) hour a day. To nobody’s surprise (well, I should not speak for the district) the position has not been filled.
So, transportation has been budgeted but not provided for 118 days at $15 per day for a saving to the district of $1770.  Now, if that money was added  to the budgeted money for the remainder of the school year (113 days) they could pay a school bus driver $30.66 and hour. How about it? Any retired school bus drivers out there? Lets find a solution to this most unfortunate situation.
Kirsten Sullivan, Cloverdale