Have a comfortable seat. Close the door so we can have a private conversation. Smiles of welcome and the sharing begins. We celebrate the successes. “My daughter loves playing with the other kids and is feeling at home here.”“I made that phone call and found a great resource.” “ I have an interview!” “ I’m getting along better with my mom.” “ I accomplished all my goals last week!”
Then comes the harder conversations. Every week brings new and different challenges. “What should I do when my children don’t listen?” “ My housemate’s kids are so loud in the morning and I can’t sleep!” “ I am worried about finding child care. Who can I trust with my kids?” “ Both my child and I have been sick this week!” We commiserate and brainstorm ways to overcome the challenges. We make goals to meet them and to find specific steps we can take this week as we work to achieve our dreams. Ending with a hug and sometimes a prayer, each parent moves on ready to greet the next week prepared to continue to grow.
Your support helps these conversations happen. Please give today. Just like the residents at Hope House we encourage you to time in this season to evaluate your successes and challenges. Think about where and how you are spending your time, talent, and resources and consider coming alongside Community of Hope in 2019 to become part of the solution.
Connections + Skills= Opportunities for Success
Community of Hope is a place to add tools to the family’s tool boxes. Every new family has to fill out a long in-take form. It seems such a challenge to get through all the pages, but then comes the conversation about how they can connect with the resources they need. A bag of clothes from Northwest Children’s Services? It almost feels like Christmas any time of the year! A referral to Lifeworks for counseling for them or their children? Welcome help when life is overwhelming. Access to a support group for domestic violence? Tools and support to make life-saving changes. A connection with a landlord or funding for housing? The next step comes into focus.
Connections are important, but skills you can take with you wherever you go are also vital. That’s why we offer classes so families can build a realistic budget, know how to be a good renter, learn new ways to deal with stress in healthy ways, and how to lovingly meet the needs of their children. The result? Each referral and new skill brings the families one step closer to their goals of being safe, growing in hope, healing and stability and finding stable jobs and homes. Your support helps families prepare and be ready with the skills they need to be successful. Please give today. Become part of the solution.
Likewise, we rely on our network of supporters, who we believe are uniquely equipped to help us fulfill our mission to empower Portland’s houseless single-parent families. Who do you know who has the skills or connections we need to take our next steps? Share our Future Foundation vision!