Thanks to Homeward Bound staff member Sarah Danforth, A HOPE has been hosting a writing group every week since November.  The majority of people who attend the group are either currently homeless or have been housed through our program, and together they’re exploring different writing styles and seeking to identify their own literary voices.

This Thursday’s event will be the group’s first public reading of its work, so come on out & support A HOPE writers as they share their poetry with our community!

A year later, she’s still in her apartment & she’s in a position to help other folks moving out of homelessness.  When Nancy and her HOPE to HOME team put together a yardsale recently, they decided to use the proceeds to make Welcome Kits for people moving into housing.  With the $121 they collected, Nancy & one of her team members went shopping for all the basics, and Nancy put together 6 Welcome Kits to support people who are currently in the same spot she was in this time last year.  Her special touches were everywhere: she added coat hangers (which we’d neglected to put on the list), put the items in shiny gold gift bags, and wrote “Welcome home” on the tag of every one.

We’re proud of you Nancy, and grateful for the way you’re not only an example of what the solution to homelessness looks like, but also investing in that same solution for other people!

http://www.facebook.com/events/142834509174476/

I’ll admit it: I was nervous when we pulled out of the parking lot at 5 a.m.  There were 4 outreach workers (including me), a couple City staff, and a lot of police officers.  If that many people walked into my home & woke me up, I’d be scared and angry. 

But all 5 of our campsite visits were positive experiences.  The police officers were kind and respectful, as were the folks camping.  My job was by far the easiest, because every single person we encountered said they’re already coming into A HOPE and they already know who we are and what we’re about.  Two of them said they were moving into housing through us that week, and two more said they were on the waitlist.  It’s a pretty powerful experience to wake someone up under a bridge & know that next week she’ll wake up in her own home because of an agency you’re a part of.

In the end, I came away feeling good about the relationship we’ve built & will continue to strengthen with APD.  I felt great about the reputation we’ve established among folks who are homeless.  And I felt encouraged that what we’re doing is actually working.  No one in my hometown should be living outside, and I’m proud to work for an organization that takes real action on that with sustainable results.  I believe that we can end homelessness here, and seeing those campsites didn’t discourage me from that; it encouraged me to keep doing what we’re doing, so those folks can have the safety & stability that I have in my life and that comes with housing and support.

Emily Ball

Paul Robeson Through His Words & Music

Performed by Derrick McQueen

NC Stage Company

Sunday, May 20th, 2012 at 6 p.m.

Tickets: $50

Seating is limited, so purchase your tickets now!  Be sure to note in the “Purpose” field that your donation is for Paul Robeson tickets.  Want more info?  Call us at 258.1695 x254.

 If you’ve been looking for ways to get your small groups, youth groups, Sunday school classes, offices, bookclubs, bible studies, committees, breakfast clubs, etc. more involved, we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you!  Please consider asking groups you know to create Welcome Kits for our neighbors moving into permanent housing. 

Here’s a list of the bare necessities – it would be a WONDERFUL support to our clients moving into housing to receive one of these kits when they move in!  All the items in the kit are inexpensive & compiling them is simple, so it’s an easy way for folks you know to have a big impact on homelessness in our community.

Kits can be dropped off at Homeward Bound (19 N. Ann St. downtown) between 4:30 and 6 p.m., any day of the week, or if your group would like to bring them over & take a tour to learn more about what we do, email emily@hbofa.org to set something up.  Thank you, as always, for all the ways you partner with us to end homelessness in Asheville & Buncombe County!

Hands & Feet is a faith-based service program for young adults, placing them in full-time service positions with local organizations.  The Hands & Feet volunteer with us will support our HOPE to HOME program for a year, working directly with HOPE to HOME team members and partners to expand and strengthen an already transformative program!

So spread the word to young adults you know & encourage them to check out www.handsandfeetavl.org for more info & to apply!

As a nonprofit partner, we’ll be selling wristbands at Downtown After 5, not only earning some revenue to help us end homelessness in Asheville, but also getting the chance to share our work with folks who are coming to the party!

So look for us on August 17th at Downtown After 5, and sign up for our newsletter to stay posted on volunteering at the event!

(P.S. – Read the full press release in the Mountain Xpress!)

It’s the largest number of folks we’ve ever housed in a month, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without your support.  Keep giving, volunteering, & spreading the word, and we’ll keep reaching new milestones in ending homelessness!