“This is so Needed!”: Almost Two Years in, Non-Profit HomeShare American River Celebrates Dozens of Happy Housemates

 In July 2021, interfaith non-profit Placer People of Faith Together launched a powerful, versatile tool to unlock both rental income and naturally-affordable housing throughout the Greater Sacramento live-work area. More than 50 such non-profit supported homesharing programs have been valuably serving their communities throughout the US, some for as long as 50 years. But there was no such service in our region until PPoFT decided to start HomeShare American River.

Almost two years later, non-profit housemate-matching and -support service HomeShare American River (HSAR) has matched up dozens of happy housemates across the region into safe, fair, valuable, and durable arrangements. HSAR makes matches in homes (whether owned or rented) located within an hour’s drive of Roseville, including Nevada City, Placerville, Lodi, Dixon, Yuba City, and Marysville. HSAR provides help for potential “Hosts” and “Guests” throughout the entire arrangement: screening, matchmaking (including facilitating exchanges of household services for lowered rent), and active support/troubleshooting. And while Hosts set the rents they charge, HSAR doesn’t charge them or their Guests anything for its service, including the background checks. Instead, HSAR is entirely funded by the Agency on Aging/Area 4 and a generous private donor, meaning that HSAR is beholden to neither Host nor Guest… just to its social mission to serve both of them equally for as long as they live together.

Since launching, HSAR has made 16 matches from North Auburn to Elk Grove. Matched Hosts and Guests vary widely in age (22-84), rents paid ($550-900, including utilities), income, and walks of life, but all have the most important thing in common: they make “great neighbors down the hall” to each other. And that also means HSAR has effectively created many new units of housing, without hammering a single nail.

As Executive Director and Co-Founder Justin Ellerby says, “Two things tell me that this service can make a dent in a lot of big problems. One: The gratitude and relief I hear from our happily-matched clients. Two: Almost everyone I tell about this service reacts with almost the exact same words: ‘This is SO needed!’”

Potential Hosts, Guests, partners, and supporters can learn more about HSAR at homeshareamericanriver.org/collaborate or by calling (916) 360-0074.

HomeShare American River
Justin Ellerby
530-746-8681
https://www.homeshareamericanriver.org
Media Contact: Tara Benavides, Outreach and Research Coordinator, tara@homeshareamericanriver.org , (916) 360-0074

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Almost 10 Million Children Going Hungry in Afghanistan as Food Aid Alone Fails to Meet the Tidal Wave of Need, Save the Children Says

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – WEBWIRE



 9.6 million children in Afghanistan are going hungry every day due to a dire combination of economic collapse, the impacts of the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing drought, new figures released today show. Immediate food assistance is needed to save lives in the short term, but aid alone is not enough to tackle the country’s worst hunger crisis on record, Save the Children said. 


The figures[i] show that despite a significant amount of food aid provided to families in recent months, 19.7 million children and adults – almost 50% of the population – are still going hungry and need urgent support to survive. From March to May alone, 20,000 people were pushed into famine.


When the Taliban took control in August last year, the international community responded largely by freezing assets and suspending development assistance to mitigate the risk of indirectly providing funds to the de-facto Taliban administration. 


Afghan children are now bearing the brunt of the international community’s policies, which have starved the country of cash, and sent the economy into a downward spiral. As a result, poverty, unemployment, and food prices have dramatically increased, forcing parents to take desperate measures to feed their children. 


Save the Children’s Director of Advocacy, Communications, and Media, Athena Rayburn, said: 


“Every single day, our frontline health workers are treating children who are wasting away in front of our eyes because they’re only eating bread once a day –and those are the lucky ones. Children in Afghanistan have never known a life without conflict, and if action is not taken soon, they will not know a world without gnawing hunger and empty stomachs. Now is not the time for the world to turn its backs on Afghanistan’s children.


”Although 18.9 million children and adults are projected to need food aid from June to November this year, there is only enough funding to provide support for 3.2 million people. With the world’s attention diverted to Ukraine, there is waning hope of addressing this crisis in time. Each day that passes without the funds needed sees more children lose their lives to preventable causes. 


“The international community must address both the gap in funds and Afghanistan’s economic collapse by identifying ways to increase liquidity in the country’s economy. Until the economic crisis is addressed; and rising poverty stemmed, children will continue to face catastrophic levels of hunger. Aid alone cannot save their lives.”


Maryam*, 26, has five children and lives in Faryab Province in Afghanistan, where many families only have one meal a day, and the public hospitals are overflowing with children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Maryam’s husband is in Iran trying to find work so he can send money back to his family to help them survive. 


“I am worried about my children,” Maryam told Save the Children. “I can only borrow cash and buy them food, but mostly I don’t have sufficient food for them. Sometimes we have food to eat, and some days we don’t.”


Maryam recently borrowed a large sum of money to take her baby Khal Mirza*, who has severe acute malnutrition, to the hospital. Once he was discharged from the hospital, Maryam took him to one of Save the Children’s mobile health clinics, which provide services in her community. 


Following treatment with Save the Children’s doctors, Khal Mirza is thankfully improving. But, many severely malnourished children are not so lucky. With Afghanistan’s healthcare system desperately lacking resources and staff, many children cannot access the care they need to survive. A Save the Children assessment also found that more than 50 percent of surveyed families couldn’t access healthcare, mainly because they didn’t have the money to pay for the services. 


The crisis in Afghanistan comes at a time when the world is facing its biggest hunger crisis this century, with an estimated 44 million children and adults on the brink of starvation across the globe.


*Names have been changed


###


 The Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) figures for Afghanistan, March-May 2022.


[i]Save the Children

 believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. 

IMAGE CAPTION:


“Khal Mirza* has been suffering from severe acute malnutrition and needed medical treatment to survive after his mother was unable to feed him breastmilk. Save the Children’s Mobile Health Teams provided further treatment in his mother’s village after he was discharged from the hospital.”

It’s Almost Too Late for the World’s 10 Most Endangered Species

Due to human hunting and habitat destruction, many animals are now at risk of extinction. To create awareness and help turn the tide, South Africa’s Springbok Casino has published information on 10 of the Most Endangered Species. This month Springbok players can take 25 free spins on the new Thai Emerald slot game from Realtime Gaming.

Johannesburg, South Africa – WEBWIRE

“Humans are responsible for the sharp decline in these animals’ populations,” said Springboks’s manager, Daniel Van Wyk.  “It’s up to us to turn things around. It’s not too late!”



Due to human hunting and habitat destruction, many animals are now at risk of extinction. To create awareness and help turn the tide, South Africa’s Springbok Casino has published information on 10 of the Most Endangered Species.


Click here to watch video version of this casino news story

 

The pangolin is one of the most trafficked mammals on Earth. Killed and sold for their meat and for use in Chinese and African medicine, their population has declined by 80% in the last 20 years.

 

As a result of poaching and habitat loss, there are only 67 Javan rhinos left in the world and only about 80 Sumatran rhinos.

 

The vaquita porpoise is the most critically endangered mammal on the planet, with only 10 individuals remaining due to the use of huge floating gillnets.

 

Hunted for their meat and shells since the ancient Egyptians and Romans, Hawksbill turtles are now critically endangered.

 

The destruction of the tropical rain forest in Borneo and Sumatra is the main reason orangutans are threatened with extinction.

 

A century ago, up to 80,000 tigers roamed India. Today, as a result of trophy hunting and a market for tiger rugs and coats, there are only about 3500.

 

There only an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild. In the 19th century there were 3-5 million African elephants. Now there are only 415,000.

 

More information on these endangered species can be found at https://www.springbokcasino.co.za/weareendangered.

 

This month Springbok players can take 25 free spins on the new Thai Emerald slot game from Realtime Gaming.

 

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Springbok Casino, South Africa’s favourite online casino, has hundreds of slots and table games, all played in rands. Customer service is available in either English or Afrikaans,