A Message from the CEO
As we begin 2023 and I think of all that HomeAid collectively has accomplished across the nation, this framed window truly represents how HomeAid is building a future without homelessness.
After lunch a few weeks ago with the team from HomeAid Orange County, I stopped by the current HomeAid construction project in the City of Tustin for Family Promise of Orange County. This is my favorite stage of construction (and it has been since I began walking construction sites at the age of 17) as it truly brings the vision to life from just plans to reality.
In 2023, seven families will call this home as well as hundreds of families for years to come that are at risk or experiencing homelessness thanks to Brookfield Residential as the Builder Captain, Kevin L. Crook Architect Inc., and the hundreds of trade partners, suppliers, and consultants who have contributed to making this project possible.
However, there is more to be done. As I woke up the other morning, it was still dark but the rain had just stopped and the temperature on my phone said it was 44 degrees outside (a bit chilly for here in Southern California). My thoughts immediately focused on our unhoused neighbors who lack access to basic necessities like shelter and heating.
How did they fair last night? Did they get wet? Were they cold? What were they going to wake up to this morning?
You see, individuals experiencing homelessness most likely seek refuge in a doorway, under some sort of an awning, in their vehicle, or somewhere else not meant for human habitation and thousands of people face the same circumstances across the country. And the need for housing is not limited to individuals. Families that often include children are also sleeping in cars or other places where their safety and well-being are compromised.
It is HomeAid’s mission to respond to this crisis and shed light on our neighbors who go unnoticed in plain sight. You see, homelessness takes on many forms through the people that are impacted, the circumstances involved, and the great organizations that are touching those people in need.
When HomeAid was founded 33 years ago, who knew that the story that would unfold would result in hundreds of thousands of lives being given the opportunity to end their homelessness, not only here in my hometown but nationwide, but also in 19 other markets.
In these communities over 1,100 developments have been completed including emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive and affordable housing, and critically needed resource centers and programmatic facilities.
In the last few weeks of 2022, several HomeAid developments across the country were dedicated just in time for families and individuals to be “home for the holidays.” These projects not only included emergency housing but permanent housing for some of the most vulnerable individuals and families in these communities by providing them with a safe and dignified place to call home.
I applaud those who have been involved with these projects as well as HomeAid’s various community engagement activities. Our vital work of ending homelessness continues into 2023 as HomeAid’s affiliates work on over 80 projects nationwide adding critically needed housing and resource centers for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As a result, by the end of 2023, several thousand more of our neighbors will have a safe, warm place to live and call home.
You are a critical part of our mission to build a future without homelessness through construction, community engagement, and education. Today, you can be directly involved with HomeAid and its 19 affiliates across our nation through your time, treasures, and talent because together, we have the power to create lasting change in our communities.
As we embark on 2023, please consider how you can be involved in HomeAid's life-changing work. Your involvement is critical and will directly impact the lives of men, women, and children not only in your community but across our country. In the end, it is all about fulfilling HomeAid's mission to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness build new lives through construction, community engagement, and education.
