Dear Reader,
November is Homelessness Awareness Month. This year, in the midst of a housing crisis and continued inflation, our neighbors experiencing homelessness face even greater barriers to finding safe, stable housing. The journey towards stability is all the more difficult, and feels even more hopeless, when there aren’t homes to find.
Addressing this growing housing affordability crisis will take all of us, working boldly and creatively together. For our part, we’re proud to be expanding our work by creating new affordable housing solutions. In partnership with Dwelling Place, we’re pursuing a multi-site affordable housing development in Holland. I’m excited to share that the project is moving along, with plans to add 61 affordable housing units with groundbreaking anticipated before the end of 2024. We’re excited to see progress - but we know that for people struggling with housing, right now, long term solutions don’t meet immediate needs.
Every day, our Outreach team works to provide critical resources - food, clothing, showers, and more - while partnering with our unhoused neighbors to pursue long term stability. Every day, our team learns the names, stories, hopes, and challenges of people in our community who are unhoused. And every day, our team celebrates stories of hope, and small wins, while walking with our neighbors through incredibly difficult trials. Since July, we’ve celebrated 15 homeless-to-housed success stories; each one the culmination of a remarkable journey that we’re honored to be a part of.
Everyone deserves a safe home. Everyone deserves good food. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a strong foundation for their family. And everyone needs a community that believes in them - their worth, their dignity, and their potential. This month, we invite you to read guest stories, learn about housing insecurity in our own community, and help meet urgent needs while our team works one-on-one with guests to build towards a brighter future. As the weather turns colder, you can support our unhoused neighbors by:
Volunteering at the Community Kitchen or with our Refresh program;
Hosting a Winter Gear Drive with your church, school, or business; and/or
Dropping off winter gear items with your family
Pursuing people. Partnering for progress. Delivering hope through action. All of our work is made possible through a community that believes in and supports our efforts - thank you for building a community where all of our neighbors can thrive.
Sincerely,
Scott Rumpsa | CEO
Program Updates
Financial Wellness
Jane* has worked with Tabitha, our Financial Wellness counselor, since 2022. Jane lives on a fixed income and owns a home, but doesn't have the financial foundation needed to withstand sudden changes or emergencies. When Jane faced an unexpected repair to her home, she soon fell behind on bills.
Tabitha and Jane worked together to apply for the Michigan Homeowners Assistance Fund (MIHAF) to help pay for a large utilities bill. Her application was denied - but our team was determined to keep providing support. Together, they drafted an appeal, and Tabitha recently heard back from Jane - she was approved! Jane told Tabitha "Thank you SO MUCH for fighting for me!!! You are making a difference!!!"
Financial processes can be complicated and confusing. Tabitha shared, “I'm so thankful that Community Action House has taught me tenacity in fighting for our members.” We use our expertise to advocate on behalf of our guests - when they need help navigating complex systems, we’re there to do it with them and we don’t stop assisting until we find a resolution.
Community Kitchen
The Community Kitchen offers a gathering place where connections are made and doors to more resources and support are opened. Guests come for the food but stay for the connection. The Kitchen offers everyone a chance to foster genuine relationships and find a community of support.
Recently during one of our weekly meals, the lights turned down, the room fell silent, and Chef Heidi entered the dining room holding a big, beautiful birthday cake with candles lit - all to celebrate one of our guests. Together, our staff, volunteers, and guests sang "Happy Birthday". For many, a celebration like this feels normal - but for someone who lacks a network of support, it's a special occasion to see a room full of people gathered to celebrate them. We're grateful for the many hands that make moments of joy possible for our neighbors.
Outreach
Our Outreach team provides “whatever-it-takes” care, actively seeking out and engaging with neighbors experiencing homelessness. Recently, our team met Seth. Seth came to the area to visit his childhood home, but found himself without the resources he needed to return to Florida where he had a network of support. Seth told our team he had leads on jobs there, and a place to live - but just couldn’t afford the ticket he needed to get back.
Over the next few days, Seth and our team worked together to confirm that he had a place to stay, then we were able to equip him with a bus ticket and transportation to the bus station. Within a week of connecting with us, Seth was able to get back home! We’re glad that our team could quickly help him return to a place of community and support - we're all about pursuing people, understanding their unique needs, and finding ways to build greater stability.
Food Club
*Name and photo changed for privacy
Martin* recently came to Food Club interested in becoming a member. After walking through the intake process, Martin shared that he felt unsure of how to navigate Food Club and wasn't quite sure how it works. Anita, one of our Guest Services Associates, quickly offered the help of one of our volunteers.
Long-time volunteer, Deb, took time to walk through Food Club with him, selecting groceries together and explaining more about how membership works. After a successful visit, Deb returned to our front desk and said how glad she was to connect with Martin - sharing that they met often when we were located on 14th street!
Knowing people and building relationships means we can provide better assistance and a community of support. We are glad we can meet guests where they’re at - whether it’s for groceries at Food Club, a hot meal at the Community Kitchen, or financial skills through our Financial Wellness programming - to make sure none of our neighbors have to face challenges alone.
Save-The-Date!
Giving Tuesday is November 28!
Help Deliver Hope through Action this holiday season.
This Giving Tuesday, help deliver hope through action! As more families than ever turn to us for support, we’re calling on community members to make this our most successful Giving Tuesday EVER. Mark your calendars, or donate early here to help us kick off Giving Tuesday!
In Case You Missed It
Tune in on Fox17!
For over 50 years, Action House has expanded service during Thanksgiving to take pressure off of families and provide moments of joy. Join Action House CEO on Fox17's Morning Mix to learn more about how you can support our work.
Homelessness Awareness Month: Stories of Hope
November is Homelessness Awareness month. Read guest stories and learn more about the experiences of our unhoused neighbors.
WHTC's Talk of the Town: Action House Update Oct. 18
Listen in to WHTC's Talk of the Town to learn more about our work, how you can get involved, and all that's happened since the opening of Food Club two year's ago!
Low-income housing projects in Holland combine to secure approval
We're proud to expand our work by creating new affordable housing solutions. In partnership with Dwelling Place, we're pursuing a multi-site affordable housing development.
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