Without personal context the massive scale of the homelessness issue, and potential solutions, tends to ride on the egos of the ones doing the “fixing.” At Community of Hope, we know that context, and relationship, is everything, especially when we believe that those experiencing homelessness are absolutely capable of transformative growth and healing. We also know that no two stories are the same, but HOPE is a common theme for a reason.
Meet Rich.
Before moving into Community of Hope Rich and his 11-year-old daughter Keira were doubling-up with a friend to have a safe place to stay. But that situation put their friend’s housing at risk so Rich looked for other options and eventually found what they needed at Hope House.
From the start, Keira and Rich were right at home at Hope House – Keira was great with the smaller children and made friends with adults and kids alike. Rich jumped right into community life and found ways to help by fixing things here and there.
As much as they loved the community at Hope House, they dreamt of a space of their own. Rich had a part-time job but felt overwhelmed by the the difficulties of moving to full-time while caring for Keira and by the process of finding a place he could afford. Even more challenging was making the right decision for his family.
Receiving the news of making it to the top of a housing list in Clackamas County seemed like a great opportunity, but the more Rich thought about it, the more he realized his hope for Keira was to stay in the same neighborhood and school. Taking a courageous leap of faith, he turned down the offer, hoping for something local. With the support of a housing specialist this summer he able to secure funding for a place in the neighborhood!
Rich still loves to stop in to visit Hope House, bringing his talents and time to give back to the community that has helped him along his journey. Every time he visits, he wants to hear that familiar greeting of, “Welcome Home”.
Watch this video to catch a glimpse of Rich and Keira and share it to encourage others!
Join Community of Hope in continuing to help families like Rich and Keira move from homelessness to stability.
You can support Community of Hope today in building capacity to meet this expanding need. Please give today to help us meet our $50,000 year-end campaign goal before January 1st or join with us in “Dreaming Big in 2019” to begin the process of expanding to a second North Portland location. Become part of the solution!