Community Action House

Have you seen these blue coats around town? Then you’ve seen our Housing Access & Outreach team in action! Since 2017, our Outreach team has been actively seeking out neighbors experiencing homelessness– looking for people who need a partner, friend, and expert to help navigate the complex process of finding housing. Last year, our team helped 118 neighbors find safe housing– the most ever in a single year. Each story is unique, and the result of the determination, hope, and hard work of our guests– with our team right alongside them. By getting to know them, building trust, and meeting critical needs first, we partner with unhoused neighbors to build a foundation for progress and pursue long term stability. And all of this work happens alongside a network of partners who are committed to building a stronger, healthier community. Next time you see them, say hi! Or visit https://lnkd.in/gT5kWHnw to learn how you can support their work through our Amazon Wishlist!

We are excited to join Wake Up West Coast next week to discuss the power of partnerships with local business leaders! Join us next Tuesday, March 18, and learn how we can build a stronger community together.?

Meet Rachel! Rachel is a passionate Financial Wellness specialist and has been on our team for nearly two years. Starting her journey with Action House while in college, Rachel helped with focus groups after Food Club opened. She stuck around as a volunteer and then applied to join our Financial Wellness team! Rachel knew that she wanted to work for something bigger than herself and use her daily job to support our community. You may have seen Rachel at Refresh, the Community Kitchen, or even Herrick District Library! She visits our partner sites to bring services directly to our guests, and loves walking alongside unhoused neighbors to help them find stable housing. In her role, she’s most passionate about being able to provide a support system for guests so that they don’t have to go through it alone, and loves celebrating with them when they finally find a place to call home. To recharge, she spends time with family, reading books, and going to the beach! We’re so grateful to have you on our team, Rachel, and for the dedication and passion you bring to our community!

Are you passionate about creating more affordable housing in our community? We encourage you to join our friends over at Dwelling Place for their Affordable Housing Advocacy in Action cohort! This cohort will empower community members to become advocates for affordable housing, leaving them with a deeper understanding of housing challenges, and actionable solutions. Homelessness, housing, and stability are complex and interconnected challenges that impact all of us, and take all of us to solve! We’re grateful for Dwelling Place’s partnership and excited to break ground on 52 new units of affordable rental housing this spring. This is one piece of the puzzle in unlocking enough housing for our neighbors who need a safe place to live and time to build greater financial stability. We hope you’ll join! Learn more or register by visiting, https://loom.ly/LOsPfac

Happy National Veggie Month! We’re glad to be a resource for fresh, healthy food—ensuring our neighbors have access to the nourishing produce they deserve. Through Food Club, families can stretch their budgets without sacrificing nutrition, and much of the produce on our shelves comes from fresh, local sources through Lakeshore Food Rescue and the Holland Community Garden! We love win-win solutions that keep good veggies out of landfills while also helping families find the food they need to thrive. Want to make a difference? Pack a meal kit to help stock the shelves! Together, we can nourish, equip, and empower our community! Learn more by visiting https://loom.ly/t-miAic

Today is International Women’s Day! Every day, we’re grateful for all of the incredible women that make our service possible. From the guests that we serve to our dedicated volunteers and passionate team members - it takes the unique talents and ideas of so many to make sure that all of our neighbors can thrive. We are so lucky that these women, and many more, show up every day to make our community stronger. This month, join us in celebrating International Women’s Day by supporting women and families in our community! Throughout March, we’re collecting personal care items to help ensure all of our neighbors have the essentials they need to thrive. Drop off donations at Food Club or our Resale Store and be part of building a stronger, healthier community! View our list of most needed items at https://loom.ly/ICtOoPg

Last month, we celebrated six years of Refresh, our partnership with First United Methodist Church. In the same month, we also celebrated the expansion of our work with Herrick District Library, bringing our Resource Navigation services to their northside location! Social change is a team sport - partnerships like these mean that we can meet neighbors, where they’re at, to provide better, more comprehensive support. In all of our work, guests find the essentials they need, paired with partnership and expertise as they chart a path forward. Progress is made in both leaps and bounds and small steps. In either case, community collaborations like these lower barriers, help neighbors build connections and stability, and provide the foundation for further progress. Read more about these efforts from our friends at The Lakeshore! https://loom.ly/lUQQhFw

Did you shop with us last month in support of I AM Academy - MI? You helped raise $887.73 in honor of Black History Month! We are proud to partner with I Am Academy, and grateful for their work to empower multi-cultural and black youth in our community. You can learn more about our partnership and continue to support their efforts at https://loom.ly/RFQVRkE

It’s VITA season (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)! Each year, a team of highly trained and dedicated volunteers works alongside our Financial Wellness team to offer free tax preparation assistance for qualifying neighbors. We're halfway through the tax season, and have already seeing a big impact for our guests. Since January 28th, 208 families have worked with our team to secure $501,174 in tax refunds - critical dollars coming back to our community! VITA is only possible through the work of so many volunteers - thank you for showing up for our neighbors!

March is National Social Workers Month! At Action House, we're grateful to have dedicated social workers on our team who walk alongside our neighbors, no matter the challenge. Whether navigating housing, food security, or financial wellness, they ensure no one in our community has to face challenges alone. Thank you to the social workers on our team, in our community, and all those working to help our neighbors build happier, healthier lives!