THANK YOU!
In March we shared with this community that one of the ways we welcome Residents to their new BLOCK Homes is with Welcome Home Kits, and asked you to take part in helping us fund this endeavor. And youDID!
Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to provide each new BLOCK Resident with many basic necessities that are usually hidden costs of settling into a new home. With these funds the items that come in each kit are customized to the needs of each Resident who moves in, so no unnecessary items are ordered or go unused. The kits contain a full set of curtains, bathroom and cleaning supplies, pots and pans for cooking, a full cutlery and plate set for dinners at home, and a mattress and sheet set for sound nights of sleep and sponges, laundry hampers, and shampoo.
We have all experienced how daunting a big move can be and how important it is to have the support of our community. Welcome Home Kits help ease the transition of those first few weeks settling into a new home, so that when a BLOCK Resident steps inside after a long day, they feel the gentle squeeze of love from this community, welcoming them back to their home again and again and again.
With gratitude,
Liana, Angie, Phoebe (BLOCK Project Wellness Team)
P.S. If you'd like to get involved with the creation of future Welcome Home Kits, please reach out to Phoebe (phoebe@facinghomelessness.org) and/or you can keep up to date with our Volunteer Hub page where opportunities to volunteer at a WHK set up event are offered as new Homes are completed!
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/and
click on the ‘donate’ button and consider a gift that is meaningful to you--even a “monthly recurring” donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#justsayhello #facinghomelessness #TheBLOCKProject #kindness #windowofkindness
createCONNECTION
createCONNECTION:
“In a world where we’re increasingly polarized, reactive, and can feel unsafe, the BLOCK Project provides physical, mental, and emotional space and support to nurture and navigate relationships and build community.” Roselle, BLOCK Project Companion
As participants of the Companionship program for over a year, Roselle and Peter (a BLOCK resident) have worked closely with Facing Homelessness’ staff and, most importantly, have built a strong companion relationship with each other.
“From the beginning, I’ve felt that my companionship with Peter was part of and supported by a larger community. Getting to know Peter and other members of the BLOCK Project community helps me remember how complicated, vulnerable, valuable, and important each of us are,” says Roselle.
In Peter’s own words, “Through my conversations with Roselle, I’ve come to learn and appreciate different aspects of another generation, how their experiences and unique challenges helped shape them, and found that any perceived gaps between us are much smaller than they appear.”
A companion relationship can look like many things. Grounded in mutuality and founded in the belief that companions walk alongside one another, meeting each other where each is at in their own journey, Companionship is a way for people to connect without judgement or agenda. For some, it is a weekly brunch outing, or a walk near Greenlake, friendly and light, fun. For others, especially during the time of COVID, it has been consistent and lively Zoom calls, spiced up by deep conversations and a willingness to learn.
Roselle shares that “Each Zoom call is an adventure with Peter—his enthusiasm and curiosity are infectious. In our weekly conversations, I’m regularly fascinated by how deeply he dives into topics ranging from his stint working for an air taxi company in Alaska to explaining the implications of the “right to repair” to me.”
Companion relationships, though initially fostered by Facing Homelessness through the connection of two individuals, are free to blossom naturally as the companion pair form their own organic and authentic connection. According to Peter, the Companionship Program “seeks to restore balance and build trust” and has even “helped facilitate one of my most rewarding friendships.”
Facing Homelessness recognizes that all relationships work differently, that all develop at their own pace, and that each is a worthy endeavor to explore further. If you are interested in becoming a companion with a BLOCK Resident and joining us in our goal to createCONNECTION, we welcome you with open arms and an untapped relationship waiting to become what you make it. And a huge thank you to everyone participating in the Companionship program for leaning in and honoring each other’s journeys.
Liana, Angie, and Phoebe
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/and
click on the ‘donate’ button and consider a gift that is meaningful to you--even a “monthly recurring” donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#justsayhello #facinghomelessness #TheBLOCKProject #kindness #windowofkindness