Tacoma CVM In The News!
MDC lends a line with voice mail program
by Staci Peper Published May 4th, 2006 Tacoma Weekly
For many people, finding a job is hard enough as it is. For hundreds of less fortunate and homeless men and women in the Tacoma area, it has been nearly impossible.
But thanks to Metropolitan Development Council’s (MDC) Community Voice Mail (CVM) program, people now have access to telephone and voice mail service to help give them a much-needed helping hand.
“There are so many people who are disconnected from the help they need, to get back on their feet,” said Sherrilyn Reed, CVM program manager for Pierce County. Reed said a lot of times, clients she sees are those who need a voice mail number to put on a job resume or application.
“This way, the client can leave a call-back number and employers can reach them,” she noted.
However, it is not just the job seekers who benefit from this unique program. It is also the single parents trying to make ends meet, victims of domestic violence and anyone who does not have access to telephone services.
Reed said that the voice mail program is primarily used by people who need a number for potential employers to contact them or who have children in school and need a parent contact number. Sometimes families can be reconnected through the voice mail.
Last Thanksgiving, Reed said, one man who had been using the system came in to check his voice mail and by the time he was done, had a job offer and was invited to his estranged sister’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.
“He was so excited, he had tears in his eyes,” Reed recalled. “And when he walked out onto the street, he actually clicked his heels in the air, he was so happy.
“He is no longer sleeping on the streets and he has a job,” she continued. “If he hadn’t had that phone, he probably never would have heard from his sister, been alone for Thanksgiving and wouldn’t have a job.”
Launched in Tacoma on May 11, 2000, CVM was first established in 1991 in Seattle. In its 15 years in existence, CVM has spread to 37 areas in 18 other states and has touched more than 4,000 people in Pierce County alone.
CVM Pierce County is currently servicing 600 people and has 900 more numbers available.
In addition to the numbers MDC gives out to those who need them, Reed said she also gives blocks of numbers to other social service agencies in the area, such as Catholic Community Services, Pierce County AIDS Foundation, DSHS, Community Justice Center and Tacoma Goodwill Industries.
These agencies use the numbers in the same way MCD does, but are able to hand out the numbers to their clients without going through a referral process.
Also, CVM numbers can be accessed through any telephone. Reed encourages those in the area of the MCD office to drop in and utilize its free phones.
back to list
Washington
Tacoma
| Agency Name: |
Metropolitan Development Council |
| Street Address: |
622 Tacoma Ave. South
Suite 1 |
| City, State, Zip: |
Tacoma, WA 98402 |
| Telephone number: |
253-572-5960 |
| Fax number |
253-593-2400 |
| Email address: |
kkelly@mdc-tacoma.org |
| Web Site: |
www.mdc-tacoma.org
|
| Contact: |
Kurt Kelly
253-572-5960 – telephone
253-591-7028 - fax |
Days and hours
of operation: |
Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm
Friday 8:00-Noon
|
Cities/Towns Served: |
Lakewood, Puyallup, Sumner, Tacoma |
Getting to Us
Driving Directions:
From the north:
- From North:
- Take I-5 towards Portland
- Exit #133 toward City Center (Keep right at the fork in the ramp) but stay left
- Merge onto I-705 N
- Take Stadium Way exit
- Turn right onto Stadium Way So.
- Turn left onto S. 4th St.
- Turn left onto Tacoma Ave. So.
From South:
- Take I-5 North
- Exit #133 toward City Center / Mt. Rainier
- Turn slight left to take the ramp toward City Center/ Tacoma Dome
- Merge onto I-705 North toward City Center
- Take the Stadium Way exit
- Turn right onto Stadium Way So.
- Turn left onto S. 4th St.
- Turn left onto Tacoma Ave. So.
Location:
Enter the building on Tacoma Ave. (corner of 7th & Tacoma).
Parking in lot at rear of building.
