I became deeply aware of the difference between having a roof over your head and feeling at home when in 2011 I met a young mother whose husband, an officer in the military, had shot himself on the front lawn of their $250,000-plus home while she and their children were inside.

He seemed to have everything to live for: the love of a good woman, three healthy children, financial success, stature in the civilian and military community and a place to call home. But what does it really mean to be “at home”?

.

I sold real estate in the past and have also worked as a home builder and a decorator. I helped others make a brick-and-mortar house feel like a home. But although colors, textures and design matter, it is really the people inside and the memories they make that transform the structure from house to home.

I guess you could say I am still a home builder and decorator because of my work with our military and veterans. Though many do have a physical place to call home, they are missing the accessories — the pieces in their lives that allow them to find laughter and lightheartedness, interest in activities, comfort and familiarity, a sense of safety and trust that new memories can be made. They don’t believe the pieces of themselves they left behind and the pieces that remain can be brought together cohesively to bring beauty and peace to their human spirit where they feel at home with themselves.

Many people think veterans don’t feel comfortable with others and want to be left alone, so there is a lot of discussion about isolating veterans in structures or villages as a solution to some of their “issues.” So, they are built. There is also a lot of talk about how jobs are the main solution for veterans’ issues with reintegration in their communities. So we have job fair after job fair with nowhere near the success rate we should see based on dollars spent.

We may get veterans employed, but do they remain employed and are their lives changed long-term? Have their spirits been healed? These types of generalized, fix-it-fast solutions seldom succeed in reintegrating the veteran with himself or herself. And that, my friends, is the missing piece. It would be like building a home with no front door.

Our veteran reintegration process must help veterans feel at home with the people they are today and build on that to become who they want to be tomorrow, next year and 10 years from now. The ability for veterans to reach out for services and make lifelong changes is diminished if they never feel at home with themselves. Programs to help families will never resolve relational issues if the veteran has a broken relationship with his or her own spirit. Programs that aim to stop suicides will not be as effective if we only seek to solve the “act” and not the lack of services to match needs, which leads to feeling a black hole after hope is gone.

It isn’t easy to build a house. But with skilled workers and a great blueprint, one can go from houseless to housed within six months or so. But the blueprint to make that house a home is not so easily mapped out. It isn’t about skilled trades; it is the emotions, the life skills, the past experiences that add to the beauty rather than distract, like the ability to bring just the right antique into a modern home and have it fit right in. To bring our veterans all the way home, they have to love themselves.

They have to make peace with their pasts and find a purpose for their futures. I am a home builder for veterans. You can be too. It is what we do at The Arms Forces and it is the right thing to do for all generations of veterans.

Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. Beyond saying “Happy Veterans Day,” let’s spend time this year with a veteran and get to know his or her story without judgment or preconceived ideas of what they need or what they did or why they did it.

Let’s spend time getting to know the person behind the labels. Let’s reach out as one human being to another, not veteran to civilian or civilian to veteran. Let’s pursue what the human spirit is capable of as we drive down the barriers and lift up the possibilities.

Imagine the difference you could make, but also imagine the difference those you reach out to can make in your life. I know. I am blessed!

Pam Hays is president and founder of The Arms Forces, www.thearmsforces.org; (419) 891-2111; Facebook.com/thearmsforces.

Elections are a time when you, as voters, get to say what is important to you.

Hopefully, the safety of Lucas County’s children is important to you and you will make that commitment clear by voting for Issue 7 on Nov. 4.

Issue 7 is a 1.75-mill levy to support Lucas County Children Services (LCCS), the county agency responsible for protecting children from abuse or neglect. Of this levy, 1.4 mills is a renewal; the additional 0.35 mills will cost the owner of a $100,000 home only $12.25 a year — about the cost of a pizza.

Issue 7 really is a vote about kids — it’s about the growing number of children we serve who are on the autism spectrum, or who have developmental disabilities or serious mental health or behavioral issues and need services from our agency to keep them safe.

It’s also about finding safe homes for children who are victims of the well-documented heroin epidemic in our community, including newborns who were born drug exposed.

Issue 7 is also about providing services to the 100 or so teen victims of human trafficking in Lucas County, deemed the fourth-largest center for human trafficking in the nation. New state legislation — which we support — placed the responsibility for minor victims of human trafficking into the hands of agencies like LCCS.

Finally, Issue 7 is about providing services to parents to help them recover from the problems in their lives so they can safely raise their own children. The families we work with overcome substance abuse, domestic violence, mental and physical health problems, unstable housing and other issues.

LCCS has responded to the tight economy by slashing more than $6 million from its budget and leaving 50 positions unfilled. The agency has reduced and, in some cases, eliminated contracts and services. Without the additional funds that Issue 7 provides, the agency will need to cut an additional $1.8 million from its 2015 budget, potentially putting children and families at risk.

At the same time, funding at the federal, state and local levels has declined. The federal government has slashed critical funding for child welfare. The State of Ohio has been ranked last in the nation in its support of child welfare. Even the income from the agency’s tax levies is down as a result of the 20 percent decline in local property values. Due to the way child welfare is funded, the less our agency spends in local dollars the less it receives in federal reimbursements, cutting our budget even further.

Despite these cutbacks, LCCS has continued to excel, maintaining accreditation by the Council on Accreditation, adding programs to help parents more successfully reunify with their children, and finding adoptive families for more children than any other county in Ohio. More youth emancipating from foster care complete their education and move on to productive lives.

We recognize that Lucas County has only recently begun to turn the corner economically, and social issues continue to plague many residents and neighborhoods. However, our agency’s mandate is to protect children from abuse or neglect. We are not in a position in which we can simply not respond. We are deeply concerned that our resources will soon be stretched so thin that children will be at risk. You have come to expect more, and our county’s children deserve more.

Lucas County Children Services is, and will continue to be, transparent in its service to the community and our 350 employees are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the county’s most vulnerable citizens. We ask for your vote for Issue 7 on Nov. 4.

Dean Sparks is executive director of Lucas County Children Services.

Toledo and Lucas County voters who head to the polls Nov. 4 face choices on numerous levies, including three for local social service agencies.

Last week, I expressed support for Issue 7, a seven-year, 1.75-mill property tax levy that would help Lucas County Children Services care for local children at risk of abuse or neglect. Two other local agencies that serve vulnerable populations are also deserving of our support on this ballot.

The Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County (MHRSB) is asking voters to approve Issue 8, a 10-year, 0.5-mill renewal levy expected to generate $3.4 million per year, or about 14 percent of the board’s annual discretionary funds, Executive Director Scott Sylak recently told Toledo Free Press.

The MHRSB helps fund 21 area organizations that provide mental health treatment and drug and alcohol recovery services. Together those agencies provide direct services to about 26,000 Lucas County residents each year.

Issue 8 is not a new tax and would continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $15 annually. The failure of the levy, coupled with an expected $2.6 million drop in state and federal funding — about 11 percent of MHRSB’s budget — would amount to a 25 percent reduction in funds at a time when MHRSB continues to see an increase in the number of people seeking treatment, Sylak told TFP.

“It would be devastating,” he said.

By covering more types of treatments, Medicaid expansion has helped relieve some financial strain on MHRSB, Sylak said. However, the program doesn’t cover vital transition services such as housing or vocational programs, and is set to expire next year unless Congress steps in.

“So many other things in our clients’ lives are destabilized,” Sylak said. “The one thing they really need to be able to count on is there’s going to be help here when they need it most.”

Also on the ballot is Issue 9, a five-year levy renewal with a small increase expected to provide $4.3 million annually for services for area senior citizens. The total cost to the owner of a $100,000 home would be about $19 per year. Lucas County’s senior population has increased 11 percent since 2010 and is expected to increase another 11 percent over the next five years, Area Office on Aging  (AOOA) of Northwestern Ohio President and CEO Billie Johnson recently told TFP.

As many as 40,000 seniors are served by AOA each year, through home-delivered meals, home care, senior center programming, day and respite care for caregivers, transportation to medical appointments, assistance with insurance questions and more.

“With such a modest increase, it just seems like a great investment for our community to do for the older citizens who have given so much to this community,” Johnson said.

We are all being asked to do more with less and being asked to support numerous levies might feel like a hardship. However, the delayed costs and negative consequences of not supporting them would be higher. I urge you to support Issues 7, 8 and 9, all of which fund worthwhile agencies that care for our fellow citizens in times of need.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at [email protected].

Quick! Who is running for governor?

That’s what I thought.

But I’m not judging since this is the quietest gubernatorial race in recent history. The race is so nonexistent I saw a Facebook post that summed up the nonexistent race nicely: “I really wish I did not have to Google to find out who is running against [Gov. John] Kasich.”

Most years, I would say that people aren’t paying attention. But this year, I have to agree with the Google comment.

My home phone isn’t ringing with campaign calls. I saw my first two political signs for the race a few days ago. I received only a couple of campaign mailings. And no gubernatorial debates were hosted for the first time in decades.

I tried to interview the candidates via telephone, but I got no response from Ed FitzGerald’s campaign. Kasich’s people tried to get me a few minutes with the governor … it just never worked out.

In the end, I don’t blame the incumbent. When you are up 22 points in the polls, why risk saying too much? Heck, Kasich didn’t even wear a tie to an endorsement interview with Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer and the Northeast Ohio Media Group. His body language indicated victory.

Lucas County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Steel said it comes down to money — and FitzGerald doesn’t have any. It’s too bad, he said, because FitzGerald is “right on the issues for Toledo.”

The Cuyahoga County executive has been campaigning on raising the minimum wage, including the wage of tipped earners. He also has been pushing protecting workers’ rights, while citing Kasich’s Senate Bill 5 on collective bargaining, which was rejected by Ohioans.

But alas, Steel received only 600 signs to distribute for the whole region, which is probably why I am not seeing a sea of signage. That’s not nearly enough, he said, but signs cost money — money the FitzGerald campaign does not have.

Meanwhile, I have seen a few Kasich commercials; however, I certainly haven’t been bombarded with gubernatorial messages like I have in the past.

On-air ads, the governor has been lauded for tougher penalties for human trafficking. He is given credit for transforming Ohio from its dismal condition four years ago, erasing an $8 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes and helping Ohio create nearly 250,000 private sector jobs.

“It’s only halftime, Ohio. The best is yet to come,” he said.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Kasich has 18 times the cash on hand as FitzGerald. Since 2013, Kasich’s campaign has garnered nearly $20 million, compared with $4.6 million for FitzGerald’s.

However, the money issue might be overshadowed by FitzGerald driving without a license for 10 years. That major mishap is pushing Kasich’s campaign right into the winner’s circle.

An editorial cartoon encapsulated the situation perfectly. Kasich, FitzGerald and Green Party candidate Anita Rios of Toledo are sitting at a table. FitzGerald has a thought bubble above his head that reads, “My driver’s license is newer and in better shape than theirs.” And that’s the campaign, folks.

In some circles, it seems like Democrats have given up on FitzGerald, which in turn has given Kasich more time to run the state because he doesn’t need to campaign.

In an Associated Press story, Ohio Republican Party spokesman Chris Schrimpf said, “It’s been the worst campaign in the last 20 years,” while Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern blasted FitzGerald when telling The New York Times he wouldn’t trust the company that vetted FitzGerald “to clean out my bird cage.”

Which leads us to Rios, who did return my call for comment. She won’t win and she knows it, but her motive to run for governor remains the same.

“I do not believe the Democrats or Republicans are governing us in a way that serves my community,” she said. “I don’t feel that the solutions we are getting from the Democrats or Republicans are really solutions. They play politics.”

Rios, the daughter of Mexican-American farm migrants, said she’s taking a long-term perspective. She wants to sees the Green Party become part of a grassroots movement that changes the landscape of the two-party system she believes has failed.

For many years, she cast ballots that were mostly blank because “I simply could not vote for those people,” she said.

Around 2000, she started to look for alternatives.

Rios and her running mate, Bob Fitrakis, support establishing a state-chartered bank, legalizing marijuana and industrial hemp production and lowering the cost of college tuition by putting a limit on administrative spending.

Midterm elections tend to have low voter turnout. However, Rios said people might not vote for a reason.

“I think many people vote with their feet; they don’t walk in the door. They have lost heart,” she said.

Steel said even if this election seems quieter than most, citizens need to educate themselves.

“We can’t have a democracy if people don’t go out and vote,” he said.

It’s time to figure out who is running, what they stand for and how you plan to vote, if you haven’t already. It is no excuse to be ignorant just because we aren’t receiving phone calls, getting fliers in the mail or being subjected to commercials.

Brandi Barhite has voted both Democratic and Republican in past gubernatorial races. Contact her at [email protected].

October’s just ended, but this has already been an exciting period for Toledo Public Schools because of several innovative programs we have implemented this school year.

Perhaps the biggest initiative is the start of the Jones Leadership Academy, a high school based on single-gender school models. Boys and girls are educated in separate wings of a former elementary school and then interact at scheduled times.

The curriculum emphasizes leadership, community service and entrepreneurship/financial literacy. Students join either the Young Women Of Excellence or Young Men Of Excellence leadership group and partnerships have been formed with organizations such as the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

A second piece of exciting news came with the awarding of a grant from the Obama administration as part of a national program that focuses on making high school students ready for the workforce.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez visited Toledo in late July to learn more about the district’s plans to implement the new Pathway to Prosperity program. The grant funds programming associated with energy, manufacturing and electronics and is available to students who attend five TPS high schools.

As part of the grant, TPS has developed partnerships with local businesses and colleges to provide support for students, including student liaisons, career coaches and  college coaches.

Along the same lines, we’ve expanded our award-winning Toledo Technology Academy (TTA) to include seventh- and eighth-grade students. Students at TTA — along with our students at Toledo Early College High School — take college-level courses and earn college credit as they fulfill their high school curricular requirements.

This emphasis on making students college and career ready is also reflected in the array of career technology programs the district offers, which allow students to graduate with a diploma and skills for today’s workforce.

Another feather in our cap came when TPS received  federal funds to run a large portion of the Head Start program in Lucas County. Partnering with WSOS Community Action and the Lucas County Family Council, we are providing services to almost 900 children, ages birth to 5, at  TPS and carefully selected childcare locations.

Our progress is being recognized locally, regionally and nationally. Toledo Public Schools was the only urban district in the state of Ohio to receive an A rating on the state report card for Value Added Education. That means our students are gaining two years of knowledge in one school year. In addition, TPS received top grades for meeting the needs of both gifted and special education students.

As you can see, TPS teachers and staff are busy working to make a difference in our community. But now we need your help. We are asking you to vote “yes” on Issue 1,  a new 5.8-mill levy that will cost a homeowner with a $60,000 home approximately $10 per month. Of that total amount, 4.3 mills are designated for operations and the remaining 1.5 mills would be designated for permanent improvements.

The levy funds will be used to:

O Restore the bus transportation for K-12 students that was eliminated in 2010. Bus transportation will improve student attendance and safety and also benefit parochial and charter school families.

O Support competitive salaries to attract and retain the most qualified teachers, administrators and staff. TPS is currently the lowest-paying urban district in Ohio and among the lowest in our region.

O Pay for ongoing maintenance and repairs to existing facilities and updating our instructional technology.

The approximately $13.3 million that would be raised would be the first new money for the district since 2001. The levy is for five years and we have identified specific goals against which the community can measure outcomes.

If Issue 1 passes, TPS will not be on the ballot again until 2018 when current tax levies are due to be renewed.

I pledge to you that I will continue to implement the district’s highly acclaimed transformation plan and expand on programs that are allowing our students to excel.

I want to continue the momentum we have started so ALL of our students and graduates can say, “I am TPS Proud.”

Romules Durant is CEO and superintendent of Toledo Public Schools and a TPS Proud graduate of Waite High School, Class of 1994.