Ft. Monroe Base Closure benefits Homeless in Hampton or Fort Monroe: The Freedom Fort

Monday, 10 October 2011 10:44 | Written by Charles Cheek and Charlotte Dillow

Since the Department of Defense announced the base closure of Fort Monroe , “The Freedom Fort”, there has been a flurry of decision making on what will actually happen to this beloved Hampton icon.

Long before the official announcement of the closure, the City of Hampton began hosting a series of Town Hall meetings to give citizens a voice to offer ideas on how best to use the land and beautiful waterfront. A national park, luxury condominiums, a golf course, were just a few of the many recommendations that surfaced.

As a homeless service provider, our thoughts at H.E.L.P. included a shelter. With what appeared to be an exhaustive supply of buildings and homes we could provide hundreds of beds to our communities homeless. We attended many public meetings and were eventually invited to a very special meeting of our own. This meeting was a result of the McKinney-Vento Act. The McKinney-Vento Act has created valuable programs that have saved lives and helped hundreds of thousands of Americans to regain stability. The Act, created a process that allowed human service providers such as H.E.L.P. to make application, to Local Redevelopment Agencies, to use property at closed bases to assist the homeless population .

What did this mean for H.E.L.P., other local agencies and those homeless we served? It meant that under the Act, the municipality in which the base was located, there was a requirement to review the homeless population and assess needs in that vicinity. The City of Hampton hosted a meeting with the Greater Virginia Peninsula Continuum of Care. The Continuum of Care is a group of human services agencies on the Peninsula that organize and maintain a current and viable process to address quality of life issues and it also facilitates receiving just over $2 Million in direct service dollars on the Peninsula for those in need. The City looked to this recognized forum as the authority on homelessness in Hampton and invited proposals to help meet the needs of the homeless in the community.

H.E.L.P. began serving those in need in 1982 and in our 29 years of service, the City of Hampton has been a faithful supporter and has recognized H.E.L.P. as the leading authority on the needs of the homeless. H.E.L.P. began meeting with the City and presented a proposal to utilize buildings on Ft. Monroe to shelter the homeless and provide day shelter support including life skills, job training, health and wellness, mental health counseling and educational services. The proposal was accepted by the Ft. Monroe FADA for homeless support services under the homeless accommodation redevelopment plan; however, negotiations were made to receive funding for support of a shelter and day center off site. These negotiations were completed in 2008 and H.E.L.P. now stands ready with plans to move forward with additional services when funding is realized.

H.E.L.P. has provided food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare to thousands in our community during our 29 years of service. With the base closure of Ft. Monroe , we will continue to serve those in need through the help of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Fort Monroe Authority and the forward thinking of the City of Hampton .

Many sought refuge within the mighty walls of The Freedom Fort; it has hosted courageous slaves seeking sanctuary, Presidents, brave solders and frightened women and children. It was a place of safety and hope. Today, the legacy lives on with the mighty fortress still providing refuge. Though the shelter will not be within the confines of the base, the safety and hope remains the same for those homeless and in need…thus, benefiting from the conveyance proceeds of Fort Monroe through H.E.L.P.

Charlotte Dillow

Executive Director

Rev. Charles Cheek

Chair of Board of Directors

About Charles Cheek and Charlotte Dillow

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Biographical Sketch of Charles E. Cheek

Born, raised and educated in the public schools in Newport News, Virginia. At an early age he assumed an activist role in addressing civil rights and world issues. During his teenage years of activism he was involved in voter registration campaigns, civil right’s demonstrations and marches in Virginia, North Carolina and at the March on Washington in 1963. His parents, with the urging of his grandfather the Rev. Gillis Cheek, Charles was allowed to attend numerous political and world affairs camps and seminars.

Charles has a desire for learning and this is still being exhibited in his later life. He states that when he enrolled in the various universities and was asked for what degree he was registering or seeking, his reply would be…”I am not interested in degrees, but I am seeking knowledge and information and therefore registering to get all the information I can…so, whatever degree you decide to give me at the end of the studies…the kindness will be accepted”. In his pursuit of knowledge and understanding he has attained and studied at Lincoln University(Pa.), George Washington University, Sojourner Douglas College, Lancaster Bible College (presently pursuing advanced knowledge studies in theology). He was also part of a year long study in Biblical Worldview and Christian Apologetics with clergy, a federal judge, college presidents and professors and business professionals from around the world.

He has been an entrepreneur, recently selling his businesses in Maryland prior to relocating back to Virginia in 2008. One his businesses had the distinction of being the only minority business, of its type, east of the Mississippi River. The business was featured in the National Geographic Magazine, the Washington Post, the Roanoke Times, the Los Angeles Times and other publications.

Prior to his being an entrepreneur he served as the Assistant Director for Outreach and Minority Business Development for the State of Maryland; Senior Consultant with several consulting firms as a management trainer and a medical practice management consultant; Mortgage Loan Officer; Real Estate and Insurance Agent; and, a Detective with the Hampton Police Department.

Charles served, as an Associate Minister at Third Baptist Church in Hampton, Va. from 2008-2010; and prior to returning to Virginia he had a street ministry, for many years, in the Baltimore area reaching out to substance abusers, prostitutes and the homeless to bring them hope and the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. He is presently the Pastor at Cathedral City of Praise Worship Center, a new ministry being planted in Hampton, Virginia.

He has been a radio talk show host in Virginia and Maryland; an editorial page columnist with a newspaper in Maryland; served many roles in the NAACP in Maryland (as a branch president and state coordinator); a Presenter at National Minority Business Conferences and state conferences in Massachusetts, Maryland and North Carolina; received a Gubernatorial Appointment to the Board of Nursing in Maryland, as a consumer representative; appointed to various boards by Mayors of Baltimore; he also served as the voter mobilization coordinator for the Jesse Jackson for President Campaign in Maryland for several congressional districts responsible for thousands of volunteers and election day activities; and, a campaign manager and consultant for several local, state and national political campaigns in Maryland; has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations in Maryland and Virginia such as the Black United Fund of Maryland, the Boys Club in Hampton, Virginia, the Young Professionals of Tidewater; Allegany County League of Women Voters, MLK Faith Based and Community Initiatives, Inc.; and, presently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of H.E.L.P. Inc. (Hampton Roads Ecumenical Lodgings and Provisions, Inc.) facilitator for a monthly Prayer Breakfast and a monthly gathering of Clergy in Fellowship; and, is weekly contributing writer to the James River Journal.

He has co-authored and published: A Parents Rights Pamphlet: Public Law 94-142 (authored); Adolescent Development’ The Formative Years (co-authored).

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Charlotte C. Dillow

Executive Director, H.E.L.P., Inc.

Charlotte C. Dillow is the Executive Director of Hampton Roads Ecumenical Lodgings & Provisions (H.E.L.P., Inc.) and has served in this position since 2004. She has been with H.E.L.P. for seventeen years and has a proven track record in financial and operational management, to include staff and volunteer recruitment, research, fundraising and resource development. During her tenure, the organization has grown in staff, programs and grants, in-kind and individual donor funding and services now exceed $10 million in value to the community. Charlotte has provided planning, development, implementation and management support for housing and homeless programs since she began volunteering for A Night’s Welcome Emergency Homeless Shelter and H.E.L.P. in 1994. Charlotte’s studies include business management and psychology and is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of “Leading for the Long Term” through the Virginia Health Care Foundation, Richmond, Virginia. She recently received the National Exchange Clubs highest honor, “The Book of Golden Deeds Award”. She serves as an Advisory Board Member to Hampton Human Services appointed by Hampton City Council and serves as Chair of the local Continuum of Care and the Greater Virginia Peninsula Continuum of Care Healthcare Committee.