Spring Valley Homeless Shelter Overhaul

spring-valley-parking-lotHousing Opportunities is a non-profit who serves homeless, disabled and low-income individuals. Our Spring Valley temporary shelter location has been home to over 363 homeless individuals since Housing Opportunities re-opened the shelter in February 2011. Of that number 148 of those individuals have been children under 18. Our shelter is not like a shelter people may see on television – it is not a communal dorm-style shelter. Spring Valley is one building made up of 14 individual apartments for homeless and 14 apartments for low-income rental.

Most of our clients are families are families just like you and me who have fallen on hard times unexpectedly due to medical issues or loss of job and lost their home to foreclosure. We also see families who suffer from generational poverty and we are helping break that cycle. With our shelter set up this way we are able to help them gain and maintain some dignity and stay together as a family unit. Most of these units are in desperate need of rehab work including floor repairs, kitchen and bathroom repair, new windows, furnaces, and doors. The parking lot is a disaster and is dangerous for our staff and families and is in huge need for repair – which we do not have funds for. If our project were selected it would not only help so many families in need in our community it would be an opportunity to share the word about homelessness. Our goal is to help the world change their image on what the face of homelessness looks like.Most people think of an older woman or man pushing a shopping cart or on the side of the road with a sign. That is not the majority in our country today. The average age of a homeless person in our community is 9 years old.

This project could help us give them a stable – safe home and change the view of homeless! Although families are incredibly grateful for the temporary home and our staff takes comfort in knowing we help families who are living in their cars or in a tent – it would be that much more of a blessing to know they were in a safer updated place they can really look at as a home regardless of the length of stay. We have such a dedicated staff and the repairs have been a dream of all of ours. Our motto is Step In, Step Up, Step Forward. Our clients step in for help, they step up to the challenge by working with case managers to help foster self-reliance, and step forward in their life. The Ultimate Give Back Challenge could Step In by selecting us, Step Up to the challenge by doing the rehab work that needs to be done and providing a safe home for so many needy families, and help the vision of homelessness Step Forward in the minds and hearts of millions of people who hear this story!