The end of September and October have been quite the months at Haven Homes of Detroit. The house is getting so close to finished, and all eyes are turning towards getting ready to open. Things seem to have hit a hiccup with a break-in to our house at the end of September which has made some of the logistics a little more complicated and uncertain. But the reminders and support since then have made us even more confident that we are moving in the right direction; and like most of life, the important things are worth the hard work they take to become a reality. Read on to learn more about our renovations, fundraising, some great news, and how programing and preparing for women to move in to HHD is moving forward. Oh! One more thing before we jump in to the good details. We couldn't do this without you, our supporters! The encouragement, introductions, invitations to share about HHD, prayers, and donations mean the world to us and truly are the reason HHD is as close to opening as we are. We are thankful and grateful beyond what we can express. Please keep sharing about HHD with your people- share on all your socials and pass on our website. Wear your shirts and hats and tell those around you about us- we are honored to bring HHD to life, but it really is all of you around us that are making this a reality. |
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Renovations are in full swing After a stand-off between two contractors, we are finally back in business with siding going up! I'm going to miss our "fake brick" (it was actually shingles tacked to the sides of the house!) look, but this is practical and efficient; and I've never been so thankful to see siding on a house before! The biggest shout-out to Aaron; this guy is amazing. He's taking his own time away from his business to work on HHD. Even after watching him flip houses for a few years, I'm still amazed at the end product. His love and sweat is truly in this house, and I LOVE seeing it come together. The inside is coming along quickly! We were so excited to host The Packer Group earlier this month, and they got the whole house painted in a day!! Aaron has been busy working on trim, and the last project will be the porch. After careful consider (and post break-in), we've decide that we will open in Jan 2023 to make sure we are ready for women to live at the house and avoid it sitting furnished but empty. |
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Fundraising will allow us to open the house to women We were so excited to have a generous donor offer up a challenge for the month of September! Not only do you all help us raise the full $3000, you went above and beyond with an addition $1500 by the time we wrapped up September for a grand total of $7500. We are estimating that we will need about $100,000 to house and provide resources for 3 women for the next year. We are always accepting funds and are so thankful for YOUR generosity over the last year. | | |
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Two awesome organizations are helping us furnish Haven Homes of Detroit! It is not lost on us that we are about ready to have a big, old house all renovated but totally empty (especially post-break in!) of anything that makes it truly a home. We believe in the healing ability of a comfortable, safe community place where women can put down roots for up to 2 years, so getting this house furnished and cozy is a top-priority! HHD is so grateful that Humble Designs Detroit and the Real Estate Staging Association of Metro-Detroit are teaming up together to furnish our house and help us turn it into a home. |
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Programming preparations are in full swing! As Aaron finishes up the physical house, Kristen and our board continue to work on the programming and support system that will ensure the women living at HHD have a safe and supportive community to lean into as the work on healing and gaining skills for their long-term independence. We are SO thankful and excited to be able to partner with Thistle Farms, and we'll write more about that soon. Their resources have helped us create a handbook for women at our house, have provided the structure to ensure we are able to meet the physical and emotional needs of women, and helped us as we continue to create a network of resources and people willing to partner with us at HHD. The priorities for us this next month include: securing mental health services for our women with a provider who is trained and able to provide trauma-informed care, continue to build out our advisory board, and post for the house parent position!! Stay tuned for some major updates in this area in November! | | |
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