Everyone wants a home, but a home is not a home without knowing you can support yourself in it, and be empowered to be part of a community - we are, in fact, all in this together.
55 years ago, in 1968, as a response to the discriminatory inequity in jobs, housing, and other basic rights exposed by the Civil Rights Movement, a group of folks founded Abode Communities in California, a nonprofit social enterprise. Abode Communities is truly reflective of its name, Communities; fostering a culture of housing inclusion by developing neighborhoods that empower the residents; this is about respect and sustainability - they believe that housing is a human right and in fact, we know it is a social determinant of health. This particular organization is outside of our Small & Gutsy vision as they have grown substantially beyond our $10 million dollar revenue limit, but what is a welcome addition to our Small & Gutsy Family is their housing stabilizing program which launched in 2020 (at least something positive and forward-thinking began in 2020), Beyond Homes is a resident services program, based on a wrap-around social service model which our guests will focus on in today's podcast. Beyond Homes is aptly named; it focuses on 4 core areas:
· Empowering youth: areas that include: Social-emotional learning, mentoring, tutoring, after-school programming, scholarship, engagement,
· Building adult and senior capacity as in financial literacy, health and wellness, benefits assistance, aging in place, etc.
· Create linkages in communities, meaning policy/advocacy, specialized referrals
· Support housing retention, meaning household budgeting and maintenance, links to financial assistance, and rent relief
They have truly thought of everything to keep individuals empowered to have and keep their homes.
