This is our first humble abode:
85 Kent Place, Akron Ohio
It may not look like much at the moment. But symbolically it is a HUGE milestone for us.
I have learned so much in the last couple years working with these incredible people who happen to be homeless at the moment. I've worked with them through an incredibly cold winter when they were staying in tents that looked like this:
Winter of 2017 - 2018, Akron Ohio
We currently have about 45 people living in our tent city.
The city of Akron and all people in authority hate our tents.
They tell us they are not fit for human habitation. They tell us they don't fit into the neighborhood. They tell us that these people shouldn't be living in tents.
I have always agreed with that. American citizens whose families have lived here for generations should definitely NOT be living in tents.
But the reality of the situation is that they are.
Over these last two years I have seen first hand unbelievable living conditions.
Families living in drug houses because they can't afford to go anywhere else.
Men and women living on porches of abandoned and nearly falling down houses.
Countless people that live outdoors with not so much as a tarp to keep the rain off of them.
The underbelly of America is dark, sad and tragic.
On top of that, living on the streets and in the woods is highly dangerous.
You are all but guaranteed to get all your possessions stolen the first couple nights you spend on the street. New homeless people are easy marks for thieves and predators.
Young men and women are often raped and prostituted.
Everyone I've ever met who has spent time on the street has at least been physically threatened and very often beat up... just because.
So yes, I hate that Americans are living in tents. But our tent city is WORLDS better than living on the street.
We have security and security cameras. We have laundry and showers. We have computers. We have clothing. We have food.
We have everything you need to get stable so you can work on your mental health, your addictions and getting into housing.
But I can also tell you that getting into housing is an endless maze of paperwork, meetings, emailing and calling.
Housing providers will tell me that the homeless need to "want" a house. By that they mean they have to jump through countless hoops and wait for who knows how long.
The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority has a 3 year waiting list with 20,000 people on that list.
What are you supposed to do for 3 years?
Today is a huge opportunity for us. WE BOUGHT OUR VERY FIRST HOUSE!
This house is directly behind our day center and tent city. So the residents of our house will be able to easily have access to our facility.
We also have maintenance and repairs to do to the house. This is where YOU come in.
We really, truly need your help with this home.
Your help will allow us to own this house outright. And it will also let us make the repairs that are needed to the house.
It is in desperate need of a paint job.
It needs screens for the windows.
It needs walls to be put up.
But all the bones of the house are good. The roof is good. The basement is dry. The furnace works. All the utilities work.
By partnering with private citizens like you we don't have all the constraints of the federal government. That way we are able to quickly and efficiently move people into our house.
The key to breaking down the barriers of housing the homeless of America is YOU.
We truly need you.
We hope you will consider getting a brick for our walkway. You can put any saying on the brick you'd like.
You can offer words of inspiration. You can offer Biblical versus. Or you can just put your name. Whatever you'd like.
These bricks will be a reminder to us that the way we fix the hardest problems of the world is by working together.
Thank you for everything you have done for us so far and for everything you continue to do for us. You are amazing.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Sage