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Need a refresher on our mission and programs?
Check out this video that Erin Kiernan kindly helped us create in 2015.
We're happy to report that the women featured, past program participants, are all stably housed and doing well today.Hawthorn Hill's video on family homelessness
Carrie Underwood Cry Pretty Tour tickets + parking pass are part of our 10th Annual Art & More for Shelter auction in April!
This year, we're paring down our auction to just a few choice packages that will be part of the live auction and paddle raiser.
Check out our new event format and venue (Curate in the East Village) on April 11th.
We're so happy that Glenda found the help she needed in our New Directions Shelter and The Home Connection!
We're excited to see the progress she makes now that she and her family are in stable housing.After a painful divorce, Glenda moved to Des Moines with her four small children. The house where she was staying with family was not safe for the kids, all of whom have special needs. Glenda turned to Primary Health Care, Inc., funded by United Way, which quickly placed the family in the New Directions shelter, another United Way-funded program. After a happy holidays there, they enrolled in Hawthorn Hill's Home Connections program, also funded by United Way, which provides permanent housing, rent subsidy, and case management.
The kids are thriving in their new home and school, and Glenda plans to return to college to earn a degree in human services.
Read more stories at www.unitedwaydm.org/stories #liveuniteddsm
Thank you to the Ankeny First United Methodist Church for their local mission day, 03/11/2019!
In the morning, the group helped paint the interior of one of The Home Connection houses to prepare it to welcome a new family. Then, they headed to New Directions Shelter for the afternoon. All new clothing was hung in the Clothing Closet, and lots of organizational work went into the two storage areas.
We also want to thank Arlene Dabill, who volunteers at Hawthorn Hill every week, for leading the afternoon project. #BuildingHope
Last year, 361 individuals stayed in New Directions Shelter, and 224 of those were children.
Your support helps us create the best atmosphere for these kids and their families, and provide case management to connect them with all the resources they need.
Make a donation today- large or small, it helps local families move towards self-sufficiency.
It might not look like much now, but we were pretty excited to tour this project by The Vecino Group on SE 14th Street. This apartment complex includes much-needed affordable housing, and Hawthorn Hill will provide supportive services from on-site office space.
We hosted a painting activity with families staying at New Directions Shelter last night, and kids and parents alike had fun being creative! One dad who painted a few items told us "it's a good release to just make some art every once in a while," and I think his two boys, who had had so much fun, agree!
Families painted birdhouses, shamrocks, Easter eggs, and wooden car toys. They got to keep what they wanted, and a few donated their birdhouses to be part of our upcoming 10th Annual Art & More for Shelter.
Our 10th Annual Art & More for Shelter is just around the corner! Mark your calendar for April 11th and get your tickets now!
"I think, at its core, that tackling homelessness is really about knowing and loving your community. You have to love the people in your community and want your community to thrive and care very deeply about the vulnerable people in it."
How New Orleans Reduced Its Homeless Population By 90 Percent
wbur.org
Two years after Hurricane Katrina, there were more than 11,600 homeless people in New Orleans. Since then, the city has brought that number down 90 percent.
Polk County Housing Trust Fund
A good article on Housing First. Most effective programs in Polk County have adopted this approach. Housing should never be used as a reward for behavior. It is everyone’s right.