We are preparing for our annual fundraiser luncheon on Thursday October 7. Please join us and hear inspiring and challenging stories from families finding stability, young professionals on an intentional journey and neighbors who are seeing the positive effects as a result of Urban Homeworks community development efforts. Special guest Kate Wolford, President of McKnight Foundation, will be joining us to share a few thoughts about how Urban Homeworks fits into the broader perspective of community development in the Twin Cities.

>>Click here to LEARN MORE or to REGISTER online.

________________________________________________________________________________

The FIXER

By Dan Hunt, Director of Housing

A few weeks ago Chantal, one of our family residents, was cooking dinner. She had one of her four children in the bathtub and stepped away from the stove to check on her daughter. Seconds later, she came back into the kitchen to find that the pan she was cooking in was engulfed in flames and the fire was quickly getting out of control. Unable to stop it, she grabbed her children and went out the front door. Once safely on the street, she called the fire department who arrived quickly to douse the flames. Much of the kitchen is a total loss. The living room, dining room and hallway are coated with soot from the smoke and fire.

I went to see Chantal and find out how she and her kids were doing. She looked concerned. Her shoulders were heavy with regret. Lightheartedly, I gave her a hug and reassured her that I didn’t care about the apartment. I was only concerned that she and her children were okay and that we happen to have an open apartment to put them into temporarily. She seemed relieved, though I could tell that she wished there were more that she could say or do.

A few days later, I was talking with our other tenants across the street. The fire came up and I asked if they were aware of what had happened. Susan (not her real name) said that her husband saw it while it was happening and said, “You gotta get over there and see what you can do!” Susan went into high gear and helped round up Mattieu, David, Grace and Ruth. The Urban Neighbors upstairs also came to help Chantal move furniture and mattresses that were unaffected by the fire.

Sometime later, I received this note from Chantal. It was addressed to me, but it was intended for many people that have come to her aid throughout her time in housing with us. It reads,

Dear Dan,

I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, once again,
for everything. Seeing the kindness and understanding, before and after the fire
accident, of you and everybody from UrbanHomeworks, I was sorry and still sorry
for what happened. I couldn’t thank God enough for all of you and ask Him
to bless you and your families. Your actions go deep and teach me many things
and I am blessed to have all of you. My children call you “fixer” because they see you come in sometimes repair whatever need to be fixed. I told them that your name is Dan, but they keep saying that Mr. Fixer was here and he fixed this or that. Thinking about that I say to my self; “He is a fixer, he does fix things and also people’s broken hearts. We all thank you; Me, David, Grace and Matthieu May God bless you.

Sincerly,
Chantal

Chantal’s story is rare. We hope that none of our tenants experience a grease fire in their home. What we hope and believe is not rare is the care and concern that Chantal and all of our families feel from our staff, the Urban Neighbors, and other neighbors. Chantal lives in a 3-bedroom that we are able to rent to her for $550 each month because of private support that makes it affordable for her. You, too, can help more families like Chantal’s by participating in 100 Gives 100, a family sponsorship program.

>>Find out more about how to become ONE of the 100 giving 100. Help more families be at home in stable housing.

________________________________________________________________________________

FLOW: Northside Arts Crawl

In honor of 15 years of hard work and support from people like you, we celebrated by partnering with our neighbors, Juxtaposition Arts, who is also celebrating 15 years of commitment to the community, at FLOW, an event that brought people together from across the Twin Cities.

Not only did we have the art of Bill Cottman and Rakhi Bisen on display in the Urban Homeworks office, but the empty lot between our two buildings was also a popular site. Following a Japanese custom, people came to write down a prayer or wish and hung it on the bamboo trellis. In a few weeks, there will be a ceremony to offer up these prayers and wishes.

We had a great time with our neighbors–those we’ve known and those we just met. We hope you can join us at FLOW again next year!