Community Housing Network Inc

Imagine having been homeless for months, possibly years, and finally finding safe, decent, and affordable housing.  That immediate sense of comfort and joy is quickly met by the cold reality that you don't have anything – a bed, bedding, a kitchen table and chairs, dishes and cookware, cleaning supplies, and more. These are all things that most of us take for granted, yet are essential to living a dignified and healthy life, establishing housing stability, and turning a place to live into a place you call home.

At Community Housing Network we serve hundreds of people each year with similar stories to the one above.  Funding is available to help many of those in need secure housing, but there is scarce funding for those things that make a house a home.  Many people come to us with nothing more than the clothes on their back and a garbage bag with their few possessions.  We raise funds throughout the year to help provide for the essential needs that so many don’t have, but those needs always exceed our resources.

100% of the funds raised will go to our Critical Needs Fund - for the essential needs of people we serve.  Will you help make someone's a house a home by making a donation to this cause?  Your generosity will make a lasting impact on the lives of people who just need a small hand up as they transition from homelessness.

Read below about someone who was helped directly through CHN's Critical Needs Fund --

Sheila has always put her children first. When Sheila and her husband divorced, and living with her brother turned out to be unsafe, Sheila knew her children's safety had to be the priority-so they left. At night, she and her children slept in her car. During the day, Sheila worked two part-time jobs balancing a security role in an office building, and painting houses. It wasn't ideal, but Sheila was determined to make ends meet for her family.

But it wasn't enough. Sheila needed help. She reached out to Community Housing Network to inquire about housing assistance. CHN had a program that fit her needs-but right before she turned paperwork in, her car was impounded with her documents trapped inside. Sheila's situation continued to worsen. Soon after her car was impounded, she was robbed on the street, and all the cash she had was stolen. With no car, she lost both of her part-time jobs. Since her last name is not the same as her children's, she had difficulty reclaiming their paperwork. 

But Sheila was determined to secure her family's future. She worked hard to get into a shelter, access services, and reunite with her children. With a safe place for the short term, Sheila found to get back on her feet. A CHN Case Manager worked with Sheila to move her into housing with a CHN landlord, get her approved for a home, and find additional services for her and her children.

But even grant programs have limits. The next obstacle in Sheila's way was a past due utility bill-a cost not covered by traditional grant funding. After everything she'd worked for, a single bill was going to jeopardize Sheila's stability-and her children's safety. 

That's where CHN's Critical Needs Fund came in. Because Critical Needs can flex to the needs of the people we serve, CHN was able to remove this past obstacle for Sheila, and get her into her home at last. 

With safe, stable housing, Sheila and her children thrived. Sheila's landlord quickly saw Sheila for who she was-a positive, hardworking person who wanted the best for her children, and was eager to pay forward the help she'd been given. He hired her on to help with his work renovating locations around the city. Sheila is now a part of the change that made a difference in her life. 

None of this could have happened without the Critical Needs Fund and the donors like YOU who help make CHN's work possible. From everyone here at CHN, thank you!