We all know that homelessness is a terrible problem in Los Angeles, and the recession is making it worse--particularly for families with small kids. The systems in place to curb homelessness are rarely tailored to families, making it harder for folks with kids to find help that works for them. That's where Family Place comes in.
Upward Bound Family Place is Santa Monica's only transitional housing program for children and their parents (most of whom are single women.) Transitional housing serves a different function than an emergency overnight shelter--it offers private accommodations on a longer time-scale and offers more intensive services. It also requires more participation from residents. At Family Place parents attend a twice-weekly parenting class & life skills classes where they develop the skills, resources and confidence they need to find employment, re-establish their families in permanent housing, and foster their children's well-being.
Families often come to Upward Bound house with very little, so an essential part of the program is outfitting each new household with the basic stuff you need to live as a family, like bedsheets and dishes. And when families graduate from the program into their own permanent housing, they take their stuff with them, which means the charity bears responsibility for furnishing a new place every time they get new clients. That's where WE come in!
Our mission is to raise money, collect items, and set up housekeeping for a particular family who will be moving into Upward Bound House in May. We'll start collecting the basics right away and the get the details of the family's composition (age and gender of children, number of parents, etc.) a few weeks from the move-in date. Most of the larger items of basic furniture (such as adult beds, a sofa, and a kitchen table) are already provided for, so our focus is on housewares and the little extras such as shelving and lamps that make a home feel nice.
There are three ways we'll be working to provide for the family:
- Online fundraising. I have placed a donation button on the right hand side of this website where you can directly donate cash that will be used to secure housewares for the family.
- Bake Sale on Sunday, April 26th in Santa Monica. The goal of the bake sale is to raise around $200 so that we have cash on hand to purchase items we can't select until we know the families composition. For instance, we may need to purchase a crib or a toddler bed for the family, but we won't know that until the weekend before the move-in date. This $$ will give us the flexibility to get what we need last-minute. (If we raise more money than we need, we'll donate the excess to Upward Bound House's general operating fund.)
- In-gathering of gently-used items. Let me know if you have spare items that need a new home between now and May.
Love,
M
