Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 25, 2000

Volume 28, Number 22

Law students revive New Haven
Cares voucher program

With winter far from over, students at the Law School have joined with members of area churches to reactivate a program that provides basic necessities for their neighbors who are hungry and homeless through New Haven Cares (NHC) vouchers.

Students and downtown visitors are encouraged to give the vouchers, instead of cash, to panhandlers. The vouchers, each worth 50 cents, are redeemable for food, clothing, transportation and shelter -- but not for drugs, alcohol or lottery tickets -- so those making contributions can remain confident that the money will be well spent.

NHC has enlisted the help of many merchants throughout downtown New Haven, who will accept vouchers as the equivalent of cash, enabling low-income residents to purchase essentials for themselves and their families. Participating merchants will display the New Haven Cares logo in their front window.

New Haven Cares was founded in 1993 by Law School students as an innovative response to the issue of panhandling. Administered by a board of directors that includes local merchants, nonprofit organizations, lawyers and students, NHC has grown over the last seven years.

Today, the program distributes over $18,000 in vouchers to individuals and to 25 nonprofit organizations serving homeless individuals, people with AIDS, men and women with substance abuse problems, and low-income families and children.

There are two ways for people to support New Haven Cares. They can purchase vouchers to give directly to individuals in need, or they can make donations directly to New Haven Cares, thus enabling the organization to provide vouchers to nonprofits willing to distribute them to their own clients.

Vouchers are available at many downtown businesses including Atticus, Book Haven, Willoughby's and Store 24. They are also available at church sales throughout New Haven, including St. Paul and St. James churches during February, and other churches during the coming months. The Town Green Special Services District is actively participating in the program by directing people to voucher vendors.

New Haven Cares provides gift certificates that announce a gift has been made in someone's honor. "Giving vouchers to a non-profit organization in the name of a friend or family member is a perfect way of honoring him or her while helping needy individuals in New Haven to meet their basic needs," said Amy Whitaker, one the program's coordinators.

NHC is funded by grants from the Zale and Swindell foundations and was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the proceeds of the School of Medicine's annual Hunger and Homelessness Auction and a smaller grant from the Trinity Church Outreach Committee. Since grants pay for all overhead and operating expenses, the full value of individual donations to New Haven Cares goes directly to individuals who are in need.

For more information or to donate to the program, write to New Haven Cares, 127 Wall Street, New Haven CT 06520.

-- By Thomas R. Violante

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