There are more than 2,000 students in our school systems considered technically unhoused or homeless. This means they are in motels, their cars, friends’ or relatives’ houses – somewhere other than a stable place to call home. I use this statistic all the time.
I present this information to groups throughout the county; we use it in our reporting and discuss it during meetings – I know this information. But have you ever stopped to think about what that really looks like? What does homelessness really look like for children? What does it do to their eyes? How does it impact their hearts? Do they sleep? Are they ever comfortable?
This Thanksgiving I saw what it looks like firsthand. Dozens of children gathering in the parking lot of a dirty, run-down motel. Some playing games, some quietly hiding behind a parent or older sibling, some curiously coming to talk to the strangers bringing food boxes. All of them in a place that they should never consider “home.” All there for different reasons, none of them in their control. Victims of circumstances that they didn’t ask for and didn’t cause.
For them it was another Friday, heading into a weekend knowing packaged donuts and bags of chips from the gas station and some microwave mac & cheese would make up their meals for a few days. For us it was a chance to meet families where they are. To really see the challenges they face. To talk to them. To hug them. To give them food boxes, fresh bread and gift cards. To provide a little peace of mind about where their next meal would come from.
Two things stuck with me that day. One comment from the school social worker, “My families who need the help the most are the ones who are least likely to seek the resources because they are not living, they are barely surviving.” The other by a Board Member, “This is not where God wants them, but it is where they are.” As we look to 2024, meeting people where they are has become the center of my focus.
We have a saying in our house that we use often. Actually, we have quite a few but this one is the one we use to stay focused, be humbled and celebrate success.
“We often overestimate what we can accomplish in one year, but underestimate what we can do in five.”
The premise is that we often find ourselves frustrated, especially at year’s end, when we realize we didn’t do all the things we wanted to do. It’s so much easier to focus on the things left undone, not accomplished, still on our “to-do” lists. Incredibly easy to do when you have taken over 700 calls the two weeks before Christmas from people desperate for help with housing, rent, food and hope heading into the holidays.
But if I stop to think about where we were five years ago, I gain a very different perspective. 2024 will mark my 5th anniversary as CEO of the Center for Family Resources. So, this year, even though there are so many people in need, I will not end the year frustrated by the things we haven’t done. Instead, I will stop and celebrate accomplishments from the last five years. Here’s just a few of them:
- More than doubled the number of homeless families we can provide temporary shelter for, now serving 60 families per year.
- Increased fundraising revenue by more than 72% by creating a positive return on investment through our impact on those we serve.
- Provided over $9 million dollars in emergency assistance to keep families housed.
- Launched three new programs designed to prevent homelessness and increase economic stability, catching people before they fall into homelessness.
- Grew our staff by 55%, adding nine full-time positions and two internship opportunities.
- Created a strategic vision for the organization, providing focus and identifying metrics and goals that matter, demonstrate our value.
These are just a few of the things I’m proud of but most of all, I am so incredibly honored to work with the team I have and for this great community. I am grateful to have the support and trust of my dynamic Board of Directors and to lead this organization into the next year. And, I am humbled by trips to motels and conversations with families that remind me why our work is so important and that we couldn’t do it without the generosity of those that support us.
May your holidays be blessed and bright, and may you go into 2024 with thoughtful intention, looking forward to the year’s accomplishments but never losing sight of what you’ve done already.