Interfaith Family Shelter is rolling out a new brand, including a fresh logo!
We hope you agree that it helps to convey what Interfaith Family Shelter has come to stand for since its inception more than 30 years ago: sheltering families and strengthening community. The new look is effective both in print and digital formats and will be an important tool to help expand awareness and visibility of our mission and impact.
You can expect to see the new logo appear on Interfaith Family Shelter’s email and newsletter mailings, social media platforms (do you follow “Interfaith Family Shelter” on Facebook?), and on the website. All of the print materials and official documents are getting upgraded with the new look, as well.
This new look also marks a new phase of growth and enrichment for Interfaith Family Shelter. In fact, this is just the first of many exciting updates underway. Did you know that the number of families coming through the shelter and transitioning to a stable home is growing?
Rest assured that while the outward image is refreshed, the core services and commitment to families remains the same. We hope you take pride in your connection to Interfaith Family Shelter and look forward to new ways to be support and be involved. Stay tuned for more soon!
Challenging the stigma of homelessness
If you missed it, be sure to check out front page of The Daily Herald from Wednesday, September 26 for an inspiring article! Christa Johnson and her family are challenging the stigma of homelessness while expanding The Family Shelter’s capacity through a unique partnership.
We are so grateful to Christa and her family for creating and providing another space where Interfaith can place families experiencing homelessness.
Excerpts
Sitting in a cozy living room as sunlight streamed in from a picture window, Johnson recalled thinking about all the unused bedrooms and spaces in the county.
“What if people who have a mother-in-law unit or a daylight basement hosted families?” Johnson said. “But I knew I couldn’t ask others to do that if I haven’t done it myself.”
Johnson said each family brings their own story — one was sleeping under a church’s stairs, another was living with two teenagers in a truck. For many, living in the apartment, just steps away from the Johnson’s back door, has allowed them to save for their own place. The Johnsons have hosted nine families in the last three years. They have stayed anywhere between two weeks and eight months.
Families are vetted and placed in the home by Interfaith. The group also provides case management services.
Christa hopes this story will inspire
In a three-month period this summer, more than 2,000 messages were left on the call line for the Interfaith Family Shelter from those looking for housing. If you’re inspired by Christa and are interested in helping expand Interfaith’s reach, contact us!
![“I’m grateful for friends, family & a roof over my head.”]()
“I’m grateful for friends, family and a roof over my head.” – resident of The Family Shelter
Whether temporary or permanent, a safe and healthy place to call home is important to all of us.
In that spirit, it’s the season for maintenance at The Family Shelter! We are inspecting and assessing the facility to prepare for winter to make sure things are running efficiently.
How about you? Is your home ready for winter? We found this list of 8 Fall Chores You Can’t Afford to Ignore to be filled with helpful reminders.
![“I’m grateful for friends, family & a roof over my head.”]()
“I came to the shelter being consumed by all I had lost, but I was shown that I had the key to unlock the door to my future, and that of my children.” ~ Sandra*, mother of 3. (name changed for privacy)
There is no underestimating the power of one voice in telling a nonprofit’s story. As staff, volunteers and advocates, we can (and should!) share about the work that we do. But in the end, the most effective voices are those who have lived our story.
As the keynote speaker at Always a Time to Bloom, our October 2015 fundraiser dinner, Sandra’s words were a powerful testament to both the real struggles that homeless families face, and the importance of safe havens like The Family Shelter that give families a place to breath, regroup and move forward.
Each year, we invite someone who has lived at our shelter to be the keynote speaker at this event. It’s always powerful, but this year, Sandra’s well-prepared words and courage to share deeply were especially moving. She was able to give an individual face and voice to the nameless statistics that so often accompany discussions about homelessness. She also illustrated to everyone in the room just how important it is to have the support of the entire community. None of us can do it alone. Judging by the tears in the room (mine included!) she inspired many of us to deepen our commitment to ending family homelessness.
Read Sandra’s full story (and learn about the campaign that we kicked off at the event.)
“I came to the shelter being consumed by all I had lost, but I was shown that I had the key to unlock the door to my future, and that of my children.” ~ Sandra*, mother of 3. (name changed for privacy)
As the keynote speaker at Always a Time to Bloom, our October 2015 fundraiser dinner, Sandra’s words were a powerful testament to both the real struggles that homeless families face, and the importance of safe havens like The Family Shelter that give families a place to breath, regroup and move forward. Judging by the tears in the room, she inspired many of us to deepen our commitment to ending family homelessness.
Many thanks to Sandra for her courage in sharing her story.
Facing Homelessness ~ In Sandra’s Words:
“I am a native of Edmonds, WA, and in 2015, I moved into the Interfaith Family Shelter with my 3 kids. For the previous couple of months, my son and I slept in a cab of a truck, usually in the Walmart parking lot, while my teenage daughters stayed with various friends of theirs to finish out the school year.”
Sandra’s brave act of speaking out, and standing up to be counted, gives a face to the blind statistics:
“38% of homeless have mental health issues that are not being treated; I am one of the 38 %….I am also included in the almost 90 % of homeless women who have experienced severe abuse by an intimate partner. And even though I have been clean and sober since August of 2008, the wreckage created from a severe drug addiction takes years to repair, so I also include myself in the almost 40 % of homeless who have substance abuse in their life.”
She shares about all that she has lost:
“Having shelter, a place to go, is one of the basic necessities of life, along with food, water, and companionship. To not have this is a feeling impossible to put into words—the guilt, the shame of having innocent children be in this situation is so heavy, this is the kind of thing that can be so overpowering it can build a locked door, blocking a future for myself, my kids. As we walked in to the shelter that first day, all of us in one room, our thoughts were full of what we had lost, how we had got to this place.”
…And the unexpected blessings she gained while living at the shelter:
“I came to the shelter being consumed by all I had lost, but when I left, I could think of all we had gained while living there. The most important to me is for my family to experience the goodness of others, and to experience firsthand that everyone makes mistakes in life. We all might need a hand up, and by offering someone else a hand, it only enriches our own life, as well as the life of another. Without the Interfaith shelter, I do not know where we would be today. But, I know that because of the love, and support shown to me, I recently moved in to a 3 bedroom apartment with my kids.”
She acknowledges the bridge to stability that was built and will continue to grow:
“I never felt looked down upon for my past, for the reasons I came there. While I was not judged for the poor choices I had made in the past, these choices were addressed and goals were set to ensure that my family would not become one of the thousands of chronically homeless in this country….I was shown that I had the key to unlock the door to my future, and that of my children.”
The success of families like Sandra’s depends on the generosity of our supporters. Help us continue to provide essential shelter to families by contributing to our 20th Anniversary Campaign.
Learn more about our 20th Anniversary Campaign
The season in coming to an end in The Family Shelter’s garden, but not before the kids get a chance to learn about all of the yummy vegetables that fall brings (look at those huge zucchinis!) During our summer children’s program, they got a chance to spend lots of time in the garden and really take ownership over the growing process. Hey- we may even have a few future master gardeners among us!
Learn more about our garden
