RENTON, Wash. — Homelessness is an isolating experience few can imagine. And for parents with young children going through it, it can be even more so. But there is a place families can turn to for help.
"We are Vision House and we are an organization that's been around for 32 years," said Melissa Gehrig, Executive Director for Vision House. "And we provide transitional housing, but moreover, a program for families with children to help them break the cycle of homelessness."
"We have 46 apartments for families with children, a combination of two and three bedrooms, mostly. Our units are designed intentionally so that they have all that, but essentially the luxury of space, and that helps with the healing process," Gehrig said. “We have a childcare center right next door in the next building. And we're licensed by the state of Washington. It's licensed for 87 kids. We have from infants, all the way up to pre-K."
"We have a resident store where they have access to food, they have access to clothing, diapers, and things that they might need. We have a garage that is full of donations that we've received from the community because we rely heavily on volunteer support, but also in-kind donations."
Besides public donations, Vision House also gets support from local businesses like HomeStreet Bank.
"Our partnership with Vision House started in 2017 and we're proud of the work that they do," said Mark Mason, CEO of HomeStreet Bank. "They're one of 300 organizations that we work with in our communities that provide basic needs: housing food, crisis intervention, and public safety."
Former client Shannon Watson used their services after becoming dependent on prescription drugs following back surgery.
"I ended up losing my home, ended up being out on the street. And I ended up basically living at friends’ houses off their couches, kind of couch surfing."
Vision House's program was just what Shannon and her daughter needed.
"I walked into the room, and I'll never forget seeing her brand-new bed, a brand new baby doll on the bed waiting for her. And just the whole apartment was gorgeous. I mean, totally furnished. It was amazing,” Watson said. "Once you get into their program, they wrap their arms around you, and they support you so much and it's an absolutely amazing program. Just amazing. It changed my life."
"The success that we have in our program, which historically has been 92% of moving families from stability to permanent housing over our 32-year history,” Gehrig added.
Stability and accountability — Vision House is giving homeless families the foothold they need to step off the streets.
If you'd like to support Vision House, consider donating to them on Giving Tuesday.
You can help Northwest residents going through food insecurity by dropping off non-perishable food items at one of 30 HomeStreet Bank locations in our state during Home Team Harvest.
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