Kustom US’ Post

🏡🌟 Bringing Hope to Our Streets: The Power of Community in Solving Homelessness 🌟🏡 Hey friends, Today, I want to shine a light on a pressing issue: homelessness in our community. It’s not just a statistic; it’s about real people facing real struggles every day. 🌆 But there’s hope! Organizations like the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) are making incredible strides. They’re not just offering shelter; they’re providing a path to a better life with support services to help residents regain their independence. 🏠💪 https://lnkd.in/gjKfHqZN And let’s talk about the success story of Kitchener’s Tent City - a testament to what we can achieve when we come together. It’s more than just housing; it’s about creating a community where everyone feels valued and supported. 🤝❤️ As we explore solutions, let’s remember the importance of community involvement. Finding the right location for projects like these is crucial, and it’s something that impacts us all. Let’s work together, have meaningful discussions, and find solutions that benefit everyone. 🗣️👥 Let’s be the change we want to see in our neighborhoods. Let’s support initiatives like HATS and learn from successes like Kitchener’s. Together, we can tackle homelessness and build a community where everyone has a place to call home. 🌍🤗 👉 Get involved, stay informed, and let’s make a difference! #CommunitySupport #HamiltonTinyShelters #HomelessnessAwareness #TogetherForChange

This past weekend, our team prepared and delivered over 250 meals to individuals experiencing homelessness. 🍲 We know this is one small action in the grand scheme of this devastating issue, but helping out warmed our hearts in a big way. Genuinely. Consistency in support creates a lasting impact, and until our next trip to the grocery store and shelters, we’d like to keep the love going by sharing a few acts of compassion that we believe everyone could be doing (at the bare minimum!) ⬇ 1️⃣ Treat Those Experiencing Homelessness as... People: ▪ This is stating the obvious, but often times, pedestrians will not even look these individuals in the eye. A smile or simple kind acknowledgment can go a long way. 2️⃣ Practice Empathy: ▪ Challenge assumptions and consider what you might not know about a person’s journey. It’s easy to think, “they could just try harder”, however, we don’t know another's story and what brought them to this point or what they are currently experiencing. 3️⃣ Choose Compassionate Language: ▪ Avoid reducing their whole identity to a single label (“homeless”). Preserve their dignity and aim to acknowledge them as individuals who are 'experiencing' something as opposed to who 'are' something. 4️⃣ Support Local Shelters: ▪ No amount of help is too little. Do what you can, do it consistently, and you will be making a difference from the moment you start. 💙 Special thanks to Ihab Guirguis, for leading our team to this wonderful initiative and to Maison du Père, Old Brewery Mission, and Benedict Labre for their inspiring work! 🙌 Together, we did (and will continue to) make a difference. #CommunityLove #VolunteerImpact

ATTN: Project HELP Needs Your Help 📢 Project HELP - created with the help of our partner Will County Continuum of Care - coordinates outreach efforts to connect with our most vulnerable community members- those experiencing unsheltered homelessness. These efforts help people experiencing unsheltered homelessness obtain basic necessities, necessities often critical to survival. Project HELP needs supplies to help people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our communities. High-need items in particular can be found below (*Gently used items are accepted, provided that items are washed and cleaned.): 🧥 Winter coats 🧤 Winter hats & gloves 🕯️ Hand warmers 💧 Bottled water 💤 Sleeping bags ⛺ Tents 😊 Blankets 💈 Personal hygiene products 💇♀️ Female personal hygiene products 🕶️ Sunglasses 🔋 Batteries (AA / AAA) Donations can be dropped off now through Monday, November 6th. Drop-off locations include Great American Bagel (Essington Road - Joliet), Trinity Services (Washington Street, Joliet), and Disability Resource Center (Infantry Drive - Joliet). Items will be distributed on November 14th. For more info, or to get involved, contact Mary at mary@uwwill.org, or Richard at whitecat.rw@gmail.com. Working together, we can end homelessness. #EndHomelessness #WillCountyCares #CommunitySupport #ChangeMakers #MakeTheWorldABetterPlace #PositiveImpact #UnitedWayOfWillCounty #UWWC #UnitedWay #COC #LiveUnited

November 11-18 is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week! This is an annual week of action sponsored by @NationalCoalitionfortheHomeless and @ResolvetoFightPoverty working to bring awareness to hunger and homelessness through a series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events! In the wealthiest country in the world, it’s an outrage that so many people go hungry and without stable, safe housing. Nobody should have to choose which of their basic necessities to forgo, but that is the reality for so many of us. As a society, we have more than enough resources to ensure everybody has their basic needs met. At the Alliance for Rights and Recovery, we know that access to food is key to health and stable housing is a key to community success. Learn about our work towards housing. Over the past 20 years, we have worked with the New York State government as well as served in numerous legislative advocacy coalitions to increase housing access. Learn more about Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week at https://hhweek.org/

I hear the experts say it all the time. What? They say it is a best practice to have youth shelters. So what they are saying it is best practice to warehouse youth and condition them into the cycle of inadequate shelter interventions. Shelters statistically provide a place to warehouse and store people experiencing homelessness not empower to break the cycle. We must empower to break the cycle by giving youth a place they can grow and feel safe. Not a shelter to be stored away, but a group home or dorm. Let’s break the cycle and listen to the people with lived experience that say the shelter isn’t a place to be empowered. The shelter system is out of date, housing and skill development programs is what is in date. #youthempowerment #youthempowerment #shelters #makehousingawinwin

𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. Here’s a startling statistic: When we prevent first-time shelter use we actually reduce homelessness by 80%. That’s because shelters become more familiar and less scary over time and the reliance on them becomes entrenched. Tracking data for the past 30 years, we know that for those who enter a shelter just once, the return rate is 40%. We also know that when there are supports that open the door to other possibilities, youth never come to identify themselves as homeless. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #30thAnniversary

🏠💖 **Extending a Helping Hand to Our Homeless Neighbors** 💫🤝 ♥️🌈🌟 As the cold winds of winter blow and the holiday season approaches, let's take a moment to remember our homeless neighbors who are facing even greater challenges during this time. While many of us are cozy in our homes, there are countless individuals sleeping rough on the streets, struggling to find warmth, shelter, and sustenance. 🌈🌟 But amidst the hardships, there is hope – hope that each one of us can make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness. It doesn't take grand gestures or deep pockets to lend a helping hand; sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness can have the biggest impact. 🌈♥️🌟 Together, let's create a community where everyone has a place to call home and no one is left out in the cold. Let's be the light in someone's darkness and the warmth in their coldest nights. After all, in a world where kindness is free, let's be generous with it. 🌟🤝 #HelpingHomeless #CompassionInAction #CommunitySupport #KindnessMatters #NoOneLeftBehind

🏠 How do you end homelessness? One life at a time! 🏠   Our core programs and services are designed not only to meet immediate needs like food and shelter for unsheltered neighbors but also to help each person find their path to long-term self-sufficiency.   We’re building a system of care that is changing the state of homelessness in San Diego County.   For many living on the streets, finding the help they need is confusing. And shelter beds in the region are at 96% capacity.   Operation Navigation is our solution to this crisis. By opening 3 more Navigation Centers across the County, we’ll nearly double our number of shelter beds.   Once their immediate needs for shelter are met, guests will transition to longer-term housing or Mission Academy, our residential program downtown where they can rebuild their lives, like Cynthia did.   Your support directly impacts lives through initiatives like Community Outreach, Navigation Centers, Mission Academy, Hunger Relief programs, and more. See what you are making possible at https://lnkd.in/dRzWvJSx. #EndHomelessness #OperationNavigation 

End homelessness in America. We believe ending homelessness in America begins with a sandwich. Our goal, beyond simply providing a PB&J sandwich to those in need, is to acknowledge and recognize the often overlooked homeless individuals and families in our community. When you see those experiencing homeless, one of the questions you may ask yourself is, “What more can I do?” We pray that what begins with a PB&J sandwich grows into much more for those who serve. In small ways, each of us can address homelessness in America. And together, we can end it. Our approach covers three initiatives to fulfill our vision: Educate Advocate Allocate Education represents increasing public awareness. Advocate is increasing support to not only host a PB&J Day, but to seek policy change and expanded community support to develop solutions. Allocate is the giving of our time, talent, and treasure (physical or monetary resources) to support PB&J Days and beyond. To learn more about how you can start a PB&J Day in your area or support us directly in San Antonio, please go to our website, pbandjdays.com. #food #SpreadKindness #pbandjdays #MakeADifference #help #service #homeless #endhomelessness