Community Action House

In 2022, we partnered with Community Mental Health to expand our Outreach Team through the addition of a Recovery Coach. Today our Recovery Coach, Jess, plays a pivotal role in breaking down barriers and providing specialized support for neighbors seeking greater stability, while offering connection to critical mental health and recovery support resources. Every guest who works with Jess has a unique story. Earlier this year, one neighbor working with our team faced a series of hurdles that made maintaining sobriety a challenge. Meeting urgent needs like food, clothing, and showers through our Community Kitchen and the Refresh program First United Methodist Church, our team coordinated with Samaritas and Community Mental Health to pursue other support. Working together, our neighbor was able to secure a spot in a 90-day inpatient substance treatment program! He’s continuing his sobriety journey, and our team will keep providing encouragement and support. Learn more about our team’s work, and homelessness in our community, by visiting https://loom.ly/7fZupxg "

Everyone deserves a stable home and the peace of mind that comes with feeling safe. Homelessness can happen to anyone, often triggered by life events beyond our control—a medical bill, job loss, or personal crisis can swiftly unravel the fragile threads holding housing security together. As affordable housing becomes increasingly scarce, especially in communities like ours, the path back to stability is complex and overwhelming. Homelessness Awareness Month is a critical time to reflect on the challenges that put housing stability at risk, and to deepen our understanding of how we can help neighbors build healthier lives. Learn more by reading our blog: https://loom.ly/7fZupxg

Community challenges require community solutions, and collaboration makes it possible to meet our neighbors' needs in a more holistic way. During Homelessness Awareness Month, we’re reminded of the power of partnerships - and we're grateful to work alongside partners like our friends at First United Methodist Church. Through Refresh: Hygiene and Hope, neighbors experiencing homelessness can access essential hygiene, resource connections, and a meal, all while working with our team to find a safe home. Refresh is about more than meeting urgent needs—it’s a place where guests find dignity, connection, and opportunities to move toward stability. When we work together, we create a ripple effect that strengthens our entire community. This month and every month, we're grateful for all those working toward a future where everyone has a safe place to call home!

Meet Jan! Jan is one of the dedicated volunteers at Refresh, our partnership program with First United Methodist Church! Jan learned about Refresh after she was recently widowed and had moved to downtown Holland. She was looking for a flexible, close-by way to give back to the community and came across Refresh! Through volunteering, Jan has truly enjoyed getting to know and care for those experiencing homelessness in the community. One of Jan’s favorite moments as a volunteer is when a longtime guest, who struggles to interact with others, gave her a birthday card with a nice note. Jan has gotten to know the guests over the years, and it touches her heart when they notice if she isn’t there and share that they miss her! She continues to volunteer because it’s her way to give back, she loves working alongside other volunteers, and because of the connections she makes with guests. Thank you Jan, for being an expression of care for our neighbors!

Have you met Shelly? If you have, you know that she radiates warmth and welcome. Shelly is our passionate Assistant Manager of Housing Access, and has been on our team for three and a half years! Shelly first connected with Action House after volunteering at a warming center at First United Methodist Church, and fell in love with what the Outreach Team was doing. Shelly shared that in her role, each person she meets has a different story. She values building relationships, being present with people, and making sure that our guests are seen and heard - because everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Through her work, Shelly has learned to look for strengths in every person she meets, to prioritize building trust, and that working with guests is an honor & a collaborative process. In her free time to recharge, she spends time with her family, traveling and hiking! We are grateful for Shelly, and her dedication to helping our neighbors find housing and build more stable futures!

November is Homelessness Awareness Month. Right now, our team is partnering with over 250 unhoused neighbors —working together to overcome barriers with the goal of finding safe, stable housing, and to set the foundation for a brighter future. Every day, we celebrate stories of hope, and small wins, while walking with neighbors through incredibly difficult trials. This year, we’ve already celebrated 80 homeless-to-housed success stories; each one the culmination of a remarkable journey that we’re honored to be a part of! At the same time, too many of our neighbors face overwhelming hurdles that make regaining stability feel almost impossible. This month, we invite you to read stories, learn about housing challenges in our community, and volunteer or donate to provide direct support while our team partners with guests on a way forward. Learn more and take action today at https://lnkd.in/gvmUriz8!

Last week Chara, our Director of Food Access, joined our friends at Fox17 Morning Mix to share about our 3 year anniversary at Food Club! Watch the segment to hear about the impact of our service, growing need in our community, and ways that you can get involved. at https://loom.ly/kmSKrHw

The holidays are a time for giving, and there’s no better way to make a meaningful impact than by joining The Community Table! Your monthly gift provides consistent support to local families who are building stability, long after the decorations come down. $5, $10, or $20 each month can help ensure that neighbors have the resources they need to thrive, not just during the holidays, but every day! Sign up today at https://loom.ly/XNpn9eI

Last week we celebrated 3 years of Food Club during CommunityFest! CommunityFest is an annual celebration alongside our Food Club members, full of fun activities, local food, and connection to resources! Thank you to our friends from Holland Public Safety, Critter Barn,Zeeland, HeartSafe Holland and more, for bringing fun to Food Club! And a big THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this event possible! Your support means that we can continue to celebrate with, nourish, and empower our neighbors.

Earlier this month at Refresh, our team & our partners at First United Methodist Church hosted a Mobile Secretary of State Office (Mobile SOS) and a Voter Registration event! Each of these opportunities helped remove transportation barriers for unhoused neighbors to connect them to critical resources that help build stability. The Mobile SOS, provided by the Secretary of State of Michigan, offers almost all of the same services as a brick-and-mortar location. Our team connected 14 guests with the Mobile SOS, providing support as they completed the necessary paperwork to replace their ID, renew their driver's license, or update their legal address– items that are critical in finding employment, housing, and accessing other essential services. Our friends at the League of Women Voters also sponsored a Voter Registration event! After working with the county clerk to understand the documents needed for people experiencing homelessness to register to vote, they were able to connect 8 guests to the resources necessary to become a registered voter, with an additional 30 neighbors learning about the importance of voting. We are so grateful for creative partnerships like these that help break down barriers for our neighbors!