Without the help of God and our community, Love Your Neighbor could not accomplish all that we do. The Grysen family, an anonymous donor, and our community, enabled us to invest in an accessible, triplex home to provide transitional housing for local families.
After serving the community for years, we recognized the lack of affordable housing and inability to build credit, pay off debt, and gain a positive rental history. Investing in the triplex is just the beginning. Our next step is to network with benevolent landlords who are willing to help people move out of transitional housing and into permanent homes.
What does accessible housing mean? We’re glad you asked! Accessible housing is a space for individuals or families to settle during transitional phases in their lives. We are ecstatic about the opportunity to provide a safe space for local families to comfortably lay their heads at night.
This opportunity is available to the families in our Life Skills Program, and once they complete the 8 week financial literacy class, participants will have the opportunity to apply for accessible housing.
“The accessible housing triplex is for families who are underhoused, meaning they might be living in a family member or friend’s basement, but they don’t have their own home,” explained Melissa Clay, Love Your Neighbor’s Director of Relational Ministries. “We would charge 30% of their gross income per month and they can stay there for however long it takes for us to help them move onto the next level of housing.”
With the help of the community, one of the triplex’s units is already occupied with its first family. In the future, our goal is to add more accessible housing in the communities we serve!
We are also grateful for the guidance Good Samaritan Ministries has provided us and continues to provide us as they manage our triplex property.
“Good Samaritan Ministries has been doing important work in our community and we are excited by what they have done. They have given us a lot of insight, but we are also glad we are able to partner with them as they provide property management for us,” shares Jodi Cole Meyer, Executive Director of Love Your Neighbor.
As we begin this new adventure at Love Your Neighbor, we are praying that our connections are meaningful and filled with hope. We are confident that God will lead us in the right direction to serve and support our local community during their phases of transition.
If you would like more information please call Love Your Neighbor at 616-662-3300, or email us at [email protected].