Peace Neighborhood Center has helped our community for 40 years. Whatever issues are facing area adults, children, and families, Peace addresses by helping to create hope and positive change no matter what the circumstances. This is through thought, word, and deed. One of these issues is homelessness prevention. In 2010, Peace expressed its dedication to homelessness prevention, helping over 220 households maintain housing. One of the family services that Peace provides is Peace House. This is transitional housing on Peace's property where a couple families can live for a short amount of time without housing expenses so they might make a transition to a more stable situation. Below, is a thank you letter Bonnie Billups, Executive Director, received recently:
Dear Bonnie,
I wanted to take the time to give my heart-felt thanks for the support you and your staff provided during the year that we lived at Peace House. Homeless caught me entirely by surprise. Most of the decisions I made in my life were to ensure that my family would never experience poverty or be without a permanent home. But I had underestimated the effect of divorce and an economic climate that made it difficult to find a job in my profession. Prior to arriving at Peace House, my nine year old son and I had moved five times in the past eighteen months--mainly sleeping on the spare couches of friends and relatives. I felt demoralized and depressed, and fearful that despite my education, I'd never get back on my feet again. I still remember the first meeting with Bonnie and Kelly, and the warmth and compassion you showed me despite the fact that I had no job, no income, and no idea as to how I could turn things around. When you showed me the inside of Peace House, I was amazed that such a beautiful space had been designed for people such as myself. Every room had the simplest, yet most elegant touches, and the beauty of that space helped restore my soul. One day, a few months after we moved in, a man pulled his car up next to mine outside of Peace House. He asked if I lived there, and when I told him that I did he stated that he was one of the carpentry students at a local community college who had installed the floors. As he spoke about his classmates and how much thought and love they devoted to making Peace House a comfortable home, I came to realize how much had gone into the actual building of Peace House.
But to us, Peace House was more than just a beautiful structure; it would not have meant as much a it did if it weren't for the additional services that you provided, and the supportive staff who offered kind words whenever our paths crossed. Every week, I came to look forward to my weekly check-ins with Kelly Martin, whose compassionate words of advice and wisdom helped me find a new vision of what my life could look like. Hand-in-hand, Kelly helped me develop goals, talk through fears, and simply be at ease with all the changes that were taking place within and around me. I wasn't the only one impacted by the staff and services. Peace Neighborhood Center also offered services to my son, from an exceptional summer camp experience that he cherished for all of its diversity of activities (including a gardening club whose vegetables kept our refrigerator full all summer!) to its afterschool care program which provided him with a second family, just across the parking lot from Peace House.
Thanks to the support of you and your staff, I've managed to find a new job that has enabled me to become self-sufficient. Yesterday was perhaps the saddest day I've had in some months, as my son and I moved out and said good-bye to Peace House--our old home. You have provided us with a wealth of experience that we will proudly carry with us.
Loving regards,
Dear Bonnie,
I wanted to take the time to give my heart-felt thanks for the support you and your staff provided during the year that we lived at Peace House. Homeless caught me entirely by surprise. Most of the decisions I made in my life were to ensure that my family would never experience poverty or be without a permanent home. But I had underestimated the effect of divorce and an economic climate that made it difficult to find a job in my profession. Prior to arriving at Peace House, my nine year old son and I had moved five times in the past eighteen months--mainly sleeping on the spare couches of friends and relatives. I felt demoralized and depressed, and fearful that despite my education, I'd never get back on my feet again. I still remember the first meeting with Bonnie and Kelly, and the warmth and compassion you showed me despite the fact that I had no job, no income, and no idea as to how I could turn things around. When you showed me the inside of Peace House, I was amazed that such a beautiful space had been designed for people such as myself. Every room had the simplest, yet most elegant touches, and the beauty of that space helped restore my soul. One day, a few months after we moved in, a man pulled his car up next to mine outside of Peace House. He asked if I lived there, and when I told him that I did he stated that he was one of the carpentry students at a local community college who had installed the floors. As he spoke about his classmates and how much thought and love they devoted to making Peace House a comfortable home, I came to realize how much had gone into the actual building of Peace House.
But to us, Peace House was more than just a beautiful structure; it would not have meant as much a it did if it weren't for the additional services that you provided, and the supportive staff who offered kind words whenever our paths crossed. Every week, I came to look forward to my weekly check-ins with Kelly Martin, whose compassionate words of advice and wisdom helped me find a new vision of what my life could look like. Hand-in-hand, Kelly helped me develop goals, talk through fears, and simply be at ease with all the changes that were taking place within and around me. I wasn't the only one impacted by the staff and services. Peace Neighborhood Center also offered services to my son, from an exceptional summer camp experience that he cherished for all of its diversity of activities (including a gardening club whose vegetables kept our refrigerator full all summer!) to its afterschool care program which provided him with a second family, just across the parking lot from Peace House.
Thanks to the support of you and your staff, I've managed to find a new job that has enabled me to become self-sufficient. Yesterday was perhaps the saddest day I've had in some months, as my son and I moved out and said good-bye to Peace House--our old home. You have provided us with a wealth of experience that we will proudly carry with us.
Loving regards,
