How COVID Affected Our Homeowners
It’s been over a year since COVID began tearing through our community. Over a year since we’ve seen and heard firsthand the dire situations many homeowners were living in. In my previous post, I talked about our initial response to COVID and what I was thinking as the leader of the organization. In this post, I want to take some time to talk about the situations we saw as we continued to work in the community.
Some days felt like I was defeated and some days I was just happy with a small win. But every day I knew the only right thing was to hold the future and it’s possibilities forefront and trust it was all going to be okay.
The calls were fast and furious. And so were we. We met every challenge with vigor and vinegar. We were there when the community needed help the most.
When no one else in the city was answering their phones, we were. The team took their trouble shooting skills to a whole new level, and we did everything we could to help our community navigate their new realities that appeared overnight.
Calls for help with stimulus checks, unemployment, access to food, testing, and overall help. Help with the secrets many homeowners hid for so long: that they were living without basic needs. Admitting it to yourself is challenging. Admitting it to someone else, even worse. They hoped this day would never come. Being independent and proud was what they were brought up on. Losing that independence and pride wasn’t an option. Would they lose everything they worked so hard for? Would they be judged, perceived as less than?
No. They were met with love and understanding. Solutions and help. Their fears were set aside and their hope restored. We were listening. We took action and did so with love.
That’s what we do. That’s why I’m so proud of the team and the work we do.
To read stories about lives we’ve impacted, click here.
To help us continue supporting Milwaukee’s low-income homeowners, donate here.