Submitted by Mary Roberts, Board President, Homes First
2020 has been a difficult year with COVID restrictions for everyone throughout our community and state. With your support, Homes First is celebrating a milestone 30 years of providing safe, permanent and stable affordable rental housing for our community members most in need. Because of record unemployment due to COVID-19, the US is facing an eviction tsunami. Now more than ever, Homes First plays a key role in providing stability in our community. We are working diligently to support our tenants during this uncertain and challenging time.
As we think about what our holiday season might look like this year, we want to share with you the personal story of our newest tenant “Sally.”
Sally arrived in Olympia years ago and landed at our door in November, through determination, hard work, and a little bit of luck. Sally worked very hard to stay clean and sober and is now seven-and-a-half years in recovery. She was lucky enough to have her number drawn for a housing voucher and even luckier to find Homes First.
That’s when community members like you stepped in to help. Donations enabled our staff to do all the work necessary to get her permanently housed, and keep her connected with any support services she need to stay in her home.
“I would be on the street if it were not for Homes First.” As a survivor of human trafficking and addiction, Sally is a testament to the resilience and the renewal of the human spirit.
We know that most of us want to provide for our families, have a safe place to call home, and pursue our dreams, regardless of what we look like or where we come from. So many more people need housing in our community and now we need your help.
Please give to Homes First before the end of this year. Together, we’ll bring warmth, peace, and safety to a family who needs a home.
For every $100 donated, we can ensure our new tenants get the supplies they need for their home when they first move in.
For every $250 donated, we can weatherize a home’s windows or repair the ramp on a home for adults with developmental disabilities.
For every $500 invested, Homes First can fill the rent gap to keep a family housed for an entire year.
A $5,000 gift would allow us to install an accessible bathroom in a home.
Please give to Homes First before the end of this year. Together, we’ll bring warmth, peace, and safety to a family who needs a home. For more information, or to donate, visit the Homes First website.
