Let’s Talk Gratitude
As the air chills and we move into the holiday season, all of us at Jesse Tree are feeling gratitude for our community. After two years of holding a virtual annual event, we are excited to host Housed for the Holidays in person this year.
It’s clear 2022 is full of things to be thankful for. We are well on track to serve over 1,000 families in 2022, already having supported over 900 as of this month! Our clients' resiliency continues to inspire our work, and they deserve the biggest celebration and thanks.
November was a month of appreciation for two of the most important pillars of Jesse Tree: our volunteers and our clients.
Volunteers operate our phone line, providing support and information about resources to every tenant who calls us. We were proud to support our volunteers with a Thanksgiving potluck to thank them for the hundreds of hours contributed this year!
We also hosted a client appreciation party, and enjoyed catching up with some of our past clients. It was wonderful to laugh with them, hear their life updates, and celebrate their wins. We make a point to stay in touch with our clients so they always have the support they need to stay motivated.
Tiffani has been homeless and couch-surfing for three and a half years. Throughout this time, she has been fighting to regain custody of her child. Due to disability and her lack of stable housing, her fight for custody was denied.
Before being diagnosed with a disability, Tiffani held a job and was saving money to find a home. After experiencing a few hiccups with her employment, however, Tiffani was evicted. She lived with friends and family for some time, but desperately wanted a place of her own. Eventually, she was approved for Section 8 assistance. She searched for a home for months, but most complexes and rentals in the area don’t accept Section 8, and the ones that did were full.
After four months of searching Tiffani finally found a rental, but was overwhelmed by the application and deposit fees for the unit. She was worried they would pass her up for another tenant. While researching her options at the library, Tiffani met with a library attendant who recommended reaching out to Jesse Tree.
Tiffani called Jesse Tree the next day and after explaining her situation, we connected her with a case manager and security deposit assistance. About her experience in working with us, Tiffani said, “Jesse Tree gave me hope.” Now, she has hope that having a secure and stable place to live will help her regain employment and get custody of her child.