We are reaching out to pull together support for three amazing men we are advocating for.
We have had the honor to get to know these three men, watch them get to know each other and build friendships! They have all been homeless and have their own unique challenges and stories. We brought them together to help one another as their individual strengths and weaknesses complement each other very well. We are fortunate enough to have funds for a hotel room for two weeks out of the month; however, that leaves two weeks where they are back out on the street. In the past two weeks, I have seen them thrive well beyond where they were individually and when they were on the street. When someone is doing the work to get back on their feet and asks for assistance, we begin advocating for them through the ups and downs of life and our broken system until they can get to a place where they are housed and have a stable form of income to pay for their monthly expenses going forward, and stay in touch once they have reached that point.
One of them has a stable form of income now; however, it has taken some time to find the right type of housing for him within his budget. Over a period of several months and with the help of four wonderful social workers, we have a solution in December, January at the latest. The others are working on their income and should have something in place by the end of the year. They are at the tail end of a very long housing process and hope to have a place by the beginning of the year. For all three of them, they are at the tail end of moving from short-term solutions to a sustainable long-term solution.
The hotel room has been a HUGE blessing to all of them and I hate to see all the progress they have made disappear if they have to go back on the street, especially because they are so close to getting back on their feet! We cooked up a Thanksgiving meal for them and took it by yesterday and it warmed my heart to see them working together to come get the individual dishes out of the car and take it to the room. The room was clean, they had picked up any trash that was generated throughout the week and had it in trash bags by the door. I was greeted with huge smiles and hugs. They reach out during the week to see how I am doing and just to check in.
Their current hotel stay ends tomorrow and there are no more funds to extend it until December 10th. I would love to pay for another week, two if possible, as there is an apartment they have been accepted into that’s available mid-December, and that fits into their budget. We need to raise $800 to get them over the hump. Will you join our village and help us raise the funds needed to keep them in a hotel until December 10th? Donations can be made here: https://ahandupnc.com/donate Thank you so much for your support!