New household essentials make it possible for previously homeless Baltimore citizens to make a fresh start.
“It’s important to us that people starting over in life enjoy the comfort and dignity of having a home stocked with everyday necessities,” says Molly G. Cottrill, Executive Director of Heaven on Earth NOW.
BALTIMORE (PRWEB) October 03, 2018
Gaynelle and her family needed a host of basic essentials, having spent four years living on the streets, in shelters and tents. But in August, when she moved into an apartment, Gaynelle found that her wish list of household goods had been fulfilled, thanks to the nonprofit partners, Colorado-based Heaven on Earth NOW and Baltimore-based Volunteers of America Chesapeake (VOAC).
VOAC’s Bridge Housing Program, instituted in 2018, has helped 42 individuals and couples move into their own apartments, with another 40 families projected to be housed by year end. In this new collaboration, Heaven on Earth NOW will supply 55 of VOAC’s clients this year with the basics they need for a fresh start, everything from linens to waste baskets, toiletries to pots and pans. “It’s important to us that people starting over in life enjoy the comfort and dignity of having a home stocked with everyday necessities,” says Molly G. Cottrill, Executive Director of Heaven on Earth NOW. House to Home is the name of the initiative, which the nonprofit provided to 116 citizens emerging from homelessness and poverty in Maryland and Pennsylvania in 2017.
“We serve the most vulnerable people in our communities,” says VOAC’s Chief Executive Officer Russell Snyder. “We provide them with the support they need to become self-sufficient, which now includes the things you and I take for granted – the broom and dustpan, the dish soap, and cutting board. These are godsends for our clients.” VOAC delivers the items, among their other supports of homeless citizens including case management, housing and placement, vocational training and job training.
In response to the essentials she received, Gaynelle wrote a letter, saying, “Oh my God, where do I start? I appreciate all the things that were donated to me and my family. There were things on my list that I needed and there they were! . . . I thank the people who took the time to pick out each and every item for me to have. . . . I pray that I will be able to do the same for someone who is going through what I did.”
Founded in 2016, Heaven on Earth NOW is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to swiftly connect angels and resources to feed, clothe, house, teach, and support people in need – in cities and towns across America and around the world. In 2017, the organization fed more than 45,000 people, among other service initiatives. Learn more at http://www.heavenonearthnow.net.
Volunteers of America Chesapeake, Inc. is a faith-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to empower self-reliance and inspire hope. As a church without walls, we do this through personalized housing, ministry, health, and human services that benefit vulnerable individuals, their families and the community. Founded in 1896 in Baltimore, MD Volunteers of America Chesapeake was one of the first branches of Volunteers of America - one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive human services organizations.