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"Voice Mail Helps Those in Need Stay in Touch"
Detroit Free Press
Jan. 19, 2006
Wendy Lewis spent nine years caring for her elderly parents. When they passed away last year, she knew it was time to return to the workplace.
But the 53-year-old Detroit resident couldn't afford a cell phone or a landline, and she knew that if potential employers couldn't get in touch with her, they would move on to the next candidate.
Lewis said her prayers were answered when she found out about Community Voice Mail (CVM), a national program that helps people in crisis by providing them with a personal phone number at which employers, landlords and others can reach them.
The service, offered through the Southfield-based nonprofit group JVS, has helped Lewis, whose rent is subsidized by a federal program, keep in touch with relatives and stay in the running for jobs.
"It's an excellent program," said Lewis, who is temporarily working at the North American International Auto Show. "I can hand someone my resume and say, 'Please call me.' "
JVS currently provides the voice mail service to about 450 people in Detroit, but will use a $68,300 grant to add more than 1,000 phone numbers in Wayne, Macomb, Oakland and Washtenaw counties.
"With CVM, the end user is able to be reconnected to the community in a sense," said Tiffany Joshua, vice president of research and development for JVS.
The grant money, recently donated by the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, will also be used to upgrade the system from analog to digital, Joshua said.
CVM phone numbers are typically distributed through human service agencies, but JVS plans to step up distribution efforts by recruiting area churches, businesses and shelters -- both homeless and domestic. Joshua said CVM gives victims of domestic abuse a way to connect with local shelters, so that if a bed or a service becomes available, they can be immediately notified.
A CVM number looks like any other local telephone number, and CVM users can check messages from pay phones, social service agencies or homes of friends and family.
The most important benefit of the CVM system is the confidence it gives users, Lewis said.
"If you have a positive attitude, positive things will come to you," she said.
For more information, visit the Web site or call 313-962-9675, 8-5 Monday to Friday.
SHABINA S. KHATRI Free Press Staff Writer
| Agency Name: | JVS |
|---|---|
| Street Address: | 4250 Woodward Ave. |
| City, State, Zip: | Detroit, MI 48201 |
| Telephone number: | (313) 833-8100 |
| Fax number | (313) 833-3393 |
| Email address: | |
| Web Site: | www.jvsdet.org |
| Contact: | Karen Smith or James Sharp |
| Days and hours of operation: |
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm |
Cities/Towns Served: |
Detroit |