November is National Homelessness Awareness Month, and as a member of HOPE Shelter’s team, I want to personally invite you to join us for a candlelight vigil 6 p.m. Sunday, November 3rd, on the site of our future home at 283 Baldwin. "A Night of Remembrance and HOPE" will recognize those who have passed away since November 2023, and to bring awareness of the growing crisis of homelessness in Oakland County.
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We have a program prepared, including voices from the Prism Choir, hot beverages from More than a Bus, a tour of Recovery Mobile’s and Honor Community Health’s mobile units, and a vigil with candlelight, to signify a light of hope in the darkness.

​A Place to Call Home
 
Did you know that three out of every five housing vouchers distributed in Oakland County go back to MSHDA unused?  This is the golden ticket of housing subsidies…after a year, it is portable and good anywhere in the United States.  Yet why do the majority of vouchers go unused?
The lack of affordable housing is one issue that also contribute to the high numbers of unhoused people in Oakland County and the United States.  Yet even when the individual finds an available and affordable apartment, often the landlord places a further (and yes, legal) impediment to resolution of the individual’s homelessness---refusal to rent to the person based on an income source.  Landlords can legally state they will only consider earned income when evaluating a prospective tenant.  They can refuse to consider alimony, child support, a gift/inheritance, Social Security income and yes, a housing voucher.  Instead apartments may feature signage that states:  You must EARN in a month, three times the amount of the monthly rent in order to be considered as a tenant.
Michigan Senate bills 205, 206, 207  http://legislature.mi.gov/(S(ktq3sroi5i4jn0jlwvue4xjc))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2023-SB-0004
seek to change this practice.  These bills will be considered in a hearing on Tuesday, May 16 at 8:30 AM.  We need your voice added to ours to make a change that gives everyone an opportunity to make a home in Michigan.  These bills do not diminish the landlord’s rights to do a background or credit check, or change their pricing.  These bills seek to have landlords consider ALL legal forms of income when evaluating a potential tenant.
The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness has put together a letter https://www.mihomeless.org/2022/04/21/source-of-income-sign-up-letter/
supporting these bills. Please consider signing this letter either as an individual or on behalf of an organization.  We need you to sign this letter of support to our legislators to protect consideration of all legal sources of income.  Each individual’s name, each organization that signs on strengthens the message that discrimination by source of income is wrong. 
Your voice makes a difference to so many.  Thanks for your help.

​HOPE was honored on Sunday, May 8 with the Neighborhood Champion Award for Service (as a Service Organization) by the Ascend Foundation.

Each spring the Ascend Foundation invites the general public to nominate people and organizations for their contributions to the community good. This year, more than 425 nominations were judged by 7 people (each judge was unaware of who the other 6 were). Kaino Philips, CEO of Ascend Foundation, highlighted HOPE’s long standing impact on consistently serving individuals experiencing homelessness and for setting new standards of service. Kaino stated, “Too often the people who do the real work don’t get the recognition. It’s time we acknowledge that HOPE has done some spectacular work and is leading the way to improving the way we all think about people who experience homelessness.”

This award is not for momentary service. Over more than 20 years, many people have partnered with HOPE in effective ways. Together we have reached meaningful milestones such as: low-barrier sheltering, onsite clinics, onsite case management, onsite service-providers, and a host of volunteers. As a result HOPE is known for stronger outcomes that result in recognition, such as this award. Every volunteer, supporter and team member shares in this award and should feel the pride of a job well done.

​Thank you for partnering with HOPE. Let's keep up the work because there is so much more to do.