August has been an amazing month of progress for Haven Homes of Detroit! We met our house renovation goal, we made a trip to Thistle Farm in Nashville to learn about programing, we have made some progress forward with a possible house parent, and Aaron is estimating that the house will be completed by the end of October. As the seasons are changing from summer to fall, we have been taking some time to reflect on all the things that are happening at Haven Homes of Detroit over the next months. We are so thankful for your support as we move this dream of safe housing closer to a reality.

Next up for fundraising... Operating Expenses

While Aaron is full time thinking about renovations, Kristen and the rest of our board of directors are busy planning how to prepare for women to move into the house. We are beyond thankful that we will own our first Haven Homes of Detroit free and clear without any debt, and it is important to us that as a new non-profit that we continue to operate without incurring debt. Our next goal is to have 4 months of operating expenses on hand so we can focus on hiring a quality and invested house parent and pay the costs of the women living at our house without any concerns about meeting our financial responsibilities. Our fundraising goals is $32,000, and we invite you to consider donating to our operating funds now at the link below. Also- stay tuned- we might have a match donor in the works to make your donations go twice as far! More to come on that next week

Programming for HHD and our time at Thistle Farms

Beyond meeting our fundraising goal in August, we also made amazing progress in getting the programing in place for the women who will live at Haven Homes of Detroit. Kristen and Lori (a member of our Board of Directors) attended the most incredible 2 day conference at Thistle Farms in Nashville. We linked to Thistle Farms in our May newsletter, as we knew we were interested in duplicating their process; but to actually learn about and experience the organization in person was so affirming and invigorating. Becca Stevens, founder, opened the first session by saying "Nonprofit work should always be a non-competitive sport", and from there, we spent the rest of the two days learning how Thistle Farms has grown their residential and social enterprise missions over the last 20 years. We left with all their materials and access to their staff for guidance and questions as we launch our own residential program at HHD. We are currently in the process of becoming a part of their National Network which will allow us to be a sister organization and work in partnership with Thistle Farms as well as more than 50 other residential programs similar to Haven Homes of Detroit around the country.

I know this is getting long- but one quick story from our trip! The first day, when we were introducing ourselves, far on the other side of the room we heard another lady mention she was from Detroit and currently working on programming at Alternatives For Girls (another residential program in Detroit that serves teens and young women facing homelessness). After quick introductions at the break, we set a dinner date and spent the evening getting to know our fellow-Detroiter. Last week, Sara came over to the house and met Aaron. This lady is full of resources and knows so many people and connections in Detroit! You all!!! Thinking about finding a house parent and program director for HHD is th most intimidating part of the whole process to me, and to meet somebody "randomly" in Nashville who is an expert in this area and interested in partnering with HHD is such a blessing!

Renovation Updates

I cannot even believe that our reno updates are the last and shortest section of this month's newsletters! Things are moving and shaking at our HHD; and Aaron is busy completing the finishing work. The drywall is complete, the windows are in (glass let's so much more light in than plywood!), and walls are primed and ceilings are final painted. This weekend we spent more time painting and hanging cabinets as well as another day date over to Floor and Decor where we got all the tile! Aaron is hoping to have the full house ready to go end of October, and I continue to be so thankful and grateful for a hardworking husband who continue to donate both his time and profits from Axe & Hammer to Haven Homes of Detroit. Keep checking back on our website for updates. If you are are praying person, we have a couple requests related to renovations: we need our siding guys to show up and get the outside finished. The other request is just for safety of our "stuff". We have had NO problems to date with tools, furnace, or anything else left at the house, and we continue to pray for safety and wisdom as we discern what to do with a finished, furnished house in Detroit until women move in! We are thankful for neighbors who have been keeping a close eye on our house for us, and we don't expect any problems, but appreciate the thoughts.

Last but not least, please see the flyer below if you, your family, or work group are interested in actually helping to furnish our house! We have a big house to fill and know some people may prefer to buy actual things that go in the house rather than monetary donations. Please keep checking back as we'll be updating things on an ongoing basis as we continue to understand our needs. One of my favorite things from Thistle Farms that goes well with how Aaron and I think is that they believe "love is lavish", and that informs how we finish and furnish our home. Our mission states that we believe in the dignity of all people, and that means to us that we will finish and furnish the house to create a healing environment where anybody would want to live.