In Enderly Park,

a neighborhood of about 3,500 people,...

• Over 850 live below the poverty line
• Over 1600 receive Food Stamps
• Over 1300 did not graduate High School
• Over 1000 are unemployed (estimated)
• Over 2300 are renters or homeless

A significant portion of people living in Enderly Park have little, if any, stability. For these neighbors,...

• Affordable housing is difficult to find
• Stable employment is a constant challenge
• Meeting basic needs is a daily hardship

In this situation, many neighbors feel that there is no way out and they lose hope.

Read Ron's Story to learn more

Yet, there is a way out! Organizations, such as New Leaf and Hope Haven, have been helping folks in substance abuse transition find stability for years. However, not everyone qualifies for such programs. Programs exist for persons who are recently incarcerated, have completed a substance abuse program, abused women or women with children.

Charlotte has few resources for persons who do not fit into these categories. For example, there are no such housing programs in Enderly Park. We can create a home to serve Enderly Park neighbors who are in transition - not just incarceration or substance abuse transitions - any transition!

Everyone needs a home...

to cook, eat and be nourished.

In Enderly Park over 1600 neighbors receive food stamps because their income is not enough to provide food for themselves or their family. Food is a basic need. Lack of food affects all areas of life, including othe ability to find and maintain adequate shelter, employment and stability.

Almost half of the people in Enderly Park receive food stamps. Food stamps and food pantries help, but more than just food is needed. A clean, stable home to cook, eat, and share table fellowship are also important, but often overlooked, parts of the hunger problem in our society. Having access to a home to maintain a regular and healthy diet is essential to long-term stability.

Most often poverty can only support a poor, low quality of food. In order to make ends meet, folks living in poverty are often forced to purchase the cheapest foods that will last for the longest time. This means poor quality meats, vegetables, breads, dairy and fruit. Soda is often the cheapest drink to buy, even though juice would be preferred. The quality of food is a significant reason that many folks living in poverty suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

By providing a home, we can empower hungry, malnourished neighbors with the resources, including quality food, nutrition education and healthy environment, to facilitate the transition to long term stability.

DONATE NOW to be a part of turning a house into a home for your neighbor in need!

Everyone needs a home...

to live, create, and express.

In Enderly Park over 2300 neighbors are renters or homeless because of low income, credit history or cronic unemployment. Lack of financial assets keeps many neighbors from regularly paying monthly bills. This can result in bad credit, loss of utilities and eviction. Achieving long-term housing stability is difficult in such situations.

Many believe that a full-time job and proper financial management are the keys to stability. However, full-time, minimum wage work does not produce enough income to sustain suitable housing. Experts agree that about 1/3 of net income should be spent on housing for stability. A full-time, minimum wage job currently produces approx. $1050 of net income per month, leaving a budget of about $350 for housing. The median rental price for a home in Enderly Park is $451 - well above $350.

Many neighbors are forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. This means little time for anything but work. Yet social, mental and physical health is dependent on access to and participation in creativity and expression. All human beings need outlets to express their feelings, thoughts, joys, and struggles. A stable home can provide such outlets, but without it, many neighbors begin to suffer from mental and even physical illness.

Through a home, we can provide a supportive, healthy living environment to help stabalize financial assets and increase income and employability to facilitate the transition to long term stability.

DONATE NOW to be a part of turning a house into a home for your neighbor in need!

Everyone needs a home...

to learn, grow and play.

In Enderly Park almost 1000 adults have not completed a high school or equivalent education (37% of adults). The current drop out rate among youth is 11.9% (over double the city average of 5%). Lack of education is a significant indicator of poverty and a barrier to employment.

Nationally, the unemployment rate of persons with no high school education is almost twice the average unemployment rate. Attaining a high school or equivalent education significantly improves a persons employability and ability to obtain a higher paying job. Lower paying jobs make it difficult for folks to obtain affordable housing and they are often forced to pay more for housing than their income merits. In Enderly Park, this often results in failure to regularly pay bills, bad credit and eviction. Thus, education is an important factor in a neighbors ability to attain stability.

Soft skills, such as such as personal grooming, timeliness, showing initiative, and communication, are equally important. Employer's are increasingly looking for employee's with a high degree of soft skills. Such skills also improve neighbors ability to maintain finances, family and personal life.

By providing a home, we can offer neighbors a safe and supportive place to learn, grow and attain adequate education during their transition to long-term stability.

DONATE NOW to be a part of turning a house into a home for your neighbor in need!

Everyone needs a home...

to sleep, rest and heal.

Every part of creation needs rest. Rest allows our bodies to energize and heal. Yet for those struggling with homelessness and consistent housing, rest is not guaranteed. Without a place to set boundaries for the purposes of rest, nights can be punctuated by the comings and goings of others, the drone of televisions, and the discomfort of couches, armchairs, and floors.

Physical health is connected to rest and sleep. Those who regularly sleep well tend to be healthier and more able to fulfill the tasks expected of them on a daily basis. Without sleep, the body becomes prone to illness and chronic disease.

Sleep and rest also provide the space necessary to restore our spirits through the practice of sabbath and of self-care. Without space to be alone and quiet, the soul becomes restless. Sleep is a basic need that nourishes our bodies and spirits.

In providing a stable, welcoming home, we can create a place to honor the need for sleep and rest to help heal and restore.

DONATE NOW to be a part of turning a house into a home for your neighbor in need!

Everyone needs a home...

to relax, fellowship and laugh.

Enderly Park has experienced a steadily growing crime rate over the past 10 years, even as crime in the city as whole has decreased to its lowest level in thirty years. Those who are homeless or who struggle to maintain daily, consistent housing are often highly susceptible to being victim to those crimes. Often, being “on the streets” means having to keep your guard up all the time, knowing that crime can strike anytime. This is a highly stressful way of life.

The other daily struggles of poverty – bread lines, labor lines, and disempowerment – are hard on both body and spirit. Hearing yet another rejection from an employer, struggling to read or fill out an application, or wondering whether your current housing will be available can turn into a twenty four hour a day cycle of stress. Friendships and family relationships can be difficult to maintain without consistent phone numbers and addresses.

In providing a stable, consistent home, we can ensure a place to unwind, to make room for laughter and celebration, to provide a consistent space for sabbath, relaxation, and cultivating deep friendships to help build one another up.

DONATE NOW to be a part of turning a house into a home for your neighbor in need!

"I've gotta come check up on my family, bro. That's what we do. We gotta help each other. Do you need me to do anything today?"

Ron has greeted me this way several times a week for more than 3 years now. He is incredibly resilient for an unemployed man who has been without a home for more than 6 years now.

"Where are you living right now, Ron?"

"Oh, I stayed with a friend down on Rush last night," Ron responds.

I immediately realize the error of my question. You see, folks in Enderly Park rarely speak of "living" in any place. Rather, they tell you where they stay. This is because houses are not always homes. Moving from place to place with whoever will take you in does not create a very stable home environment.

"I need to get uptown to fill out a job application today, Mr. Jason. Can you help get me there?"

"Yeah, Ron. I can help. What do you need to do to get ready?"

"Well, I really need a shower, but I had to be out of my friends place before his family woke up. So, I can't go back there to get a shower. I just can't take it anymore. I'm staying cool, but I really need a place to be."

"You can take a shower here, and I'll take you to fill out the application," I respond.

I always feel guilty that I am not able to do more for Ron. Without money for a deposit and first month's rent, there is no other place for him to go in the city of Charlotte except the streets. Ron is not addicted to any susbstances. Ron is not an ex-offender. Ron is unemployed. Ron is homeless. And there are few transitional housing resources in Charlotte for such men. Ron is underserved in the Queen City.

Without a stable home environment, the chances of acquiring a steady job are drastically reduced. The transition to stable employment and long-term housing require support even for the affluent, but particularly for those who've grown up in poverty like Ron.

Yet there is good news! You can help!

Hyaets, a local non-profit organization which works to build community in Ron’s neighborhood, is creating a home - a holistic place for Ron and others like him to sleep, eat, learn, create, receive basic medical care and give back to others. We are ready to move with a variety of programming, partnerships and strong practices. All that is lacking is a physical structure, a house, to be made into this home. Yet that place is available and right next door to current Hyaets residential community members!

You can provide Ron and others like him with a home, a supportive nurturing environment to facilitate his transition to stability! Ten gifts of $5,000 can make possible Hyaets' House2Home project. Chances are at some point in your life your parents or another family member helped you make a transition to be on your own. Will you be that family for Ron today?

Take the next step into Ron's life by donating to Hyaets' House to Home Project!

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