The Spirit of Giving

by Admin | Dec 19, 2019 | Uncategorized

The holiday season is a time for being with family and enjoying the magic of Christmas on little one’s faces. For many, the holiday season is the hardest time of the year.

What would you do if you had nowhere to sleep? How do you explain why there is no Santa for your children?

According to the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately 2,669 men, women, and children in Baltimore City are homeless on any given night.

This year we are thankful for all of our volunteers and donors who have helped us create stability for 83 individuals and 25 families have a place to call home this holiday season.

“Me, my husband, my two sons, and my grandson were all living in the same home.  I knew that if something happened to my husband that we wouldn’t be able to afford rent.  He was really sick, and that’s what happened.  

I went to a shelter that had a 30-day stay.  I ended up staying there for 3 months because they liked my attitude.  A lot of girls would come in and their spirits were broken and I had that uplifting thing.  I like to make people laugh so I kept them laughing and they kept me around.  

I went to stay with my mom, from my mom I went and stayed in my storage unit.  I stayed in my storage unit for about a year and a half, maybe two years. I found a social worker who helped me.  She was the best; she was only supposed to help me one year but she helped me two years because she liked my attitude.  She got me into the Bennett House. Once I got that key in my hand I said ‘nothing is ever gonna be the same’ and it hasn’t.  

That was three years ago.  I’m ready to get out there and do it on my own.  With my husband, I was with him for 32 years, I never had to pay a bill.  Once I got here it taught me the responsibility of, you have to pay your rent, you have to buy your own food.  I’ve learned how to budget my money…”

“I like the women at the Bennett House.  There’s always good ones… Veronica is a gem.  When they put her in here they knew what they were doing.  She’s like a mentor. She makes sure that you pay your rent every month.  She knows that was something hard for me to do, to pay my rent, because I never had to do that before…”

“To me, WHC has been the greatest experience of my life.  And I’ve had some good experiences and I’ve had some bad; this is the greatest.  It helped me plant my feet and it gave me stability. I’ve grown a lot and I’ve learned a lot.” – Christine

There is a long waitlist for people who housing in programs like the Women’s Housing Coalition. With your help, we can continue to grow and help more people individuals and families have many happy holidays to come.

Make a donation today: https://squareup.com/store/womens-housing-coalition

Every Person Has Value

by Admin | Dec 16, 2019 | Uncategorized

Imagine feeling like you aren’t someone of value to society. People pass by but never look at you. You have been homeless for several years, moving from shelter to shelter and from friend’s house to friend’s house. You are running out of options. It is not safe staying outside alone. What would you do? Would you continue the daily trudge of moving night after night? How long can you keep this up?

In Leslie’s case, she was able to get housing and supportive services here at the Women’s Housing Coalition where she found hope and friends who cared. She discovered programming to help her grow in spirit and in stability. With the help of her case manager, Leslie started setting goals, then…meeting them. Now that she’s working a few days a week, she dreams of having her own place. With your support, we can help women like Leslie find value and achieve their dreams. “Women’s Housing Coalition gave me my life back, they really did: with the structure, with letting me see that I can be someone. I’m not just a homeless older lady; I am somebody. That’s what WHC brought back tome.” – Leslie

For Christine, losing her husband to a severe illness put her and her sons out on the streets. She was able to find housing for her sons, but she began bouncing from relative to relative until her only option was to live in her storage unit. Thankfully, Christine found WHC. Here she learned how to budget her money and use her case manager as a mentor in responsibility. She found value. With your help, women like Christine can get back on their feet and find value. “To me, WHC has been the greatest experience of my life…It helped me plant my feet and it gave me stability. I’ve grown a lot, and I’ve learned a lot.” – Christine

Because of supporters like you, for the first time in over ten years, we expanded our housing and supportive services from 98 to 108 households. That’s 10 more opportunities for people experiencing homelessness to regain their value. 83 individuals (like Leslie and Christine) and 25 families have a place to call home this holiday season. Because of you, we are able to provide them with the tools to find stability. Our hope is that all of our residents will begin to recognize that they are more than the situation they were in. They are more than someone who experienced homelessness. They are somebody! They have value!

With your support, we can make our hope a reality.

Make a donation today:https://squareup.com/store/womens-housing-coalition