Hint: It's not just a place.
Being at “home” is a state of being that makes us feel like we belong in the world. Home is a safe haven and a comfort zone. A place to live with our families and pets and enjoy with friends. A place to build memories as well as a way to build future wealth. A place where we can truly just be ourselves. Home is a predictable and secure place. It is where we manage our emotional and physical well-being. It is our grounding place to build and grow healthy relationships, where we orientate ourselves, maintain order, and organize our lives.
Now, what if you no longer have support from a system and find yourself homeless or without stable, safe, and functional housing?
Homeless? An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, such as those living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or places not meant for habitation. Some of these homeless are youth, young adults...aged out of a protective safety net of care.
Consider this from 2018:
33.1% had DCF/Foster care involvement
20.6% had criminal justice involvement
41.1% said they cannot stay where they are as long as they needed
22.1% said the place they were currently staying in was unsafe
37.1% identified as black and 36.4% identified as Hispanic
18.6% of respondents were pregnant or parenting youth
11.8% identified as bisexual and 6.1% identified as gay or lesbian
70.7% of youth that were homeless or housing unstable said they did not seek shelter
Most of these numbers are "invisible". We are striving to create a sense of home by matching donated goods to help create successful, safe stable living spaces.
People are more productive and better able to process information when living in an organized and functional home and
removing the financial burden of creating a home will most likely extract an individual from the “scarcity trap” which ensnares and keeps someone in poverty or homelessness.
What does “home” mean to you?
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