Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition |
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| Building on the strength of local congregations to end homelessness through affordable housing and mentoring support. | |
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What We Do
Since 1991, the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition (SSIHC) has helped dozens of children, women, and men move out of homelessness. SSIHC strengthens families and individuals by providing stable, affordable housing and long-term support. Our residents achieve financial and personal goals by taking advantage of a broad network of support from case managers, mentors, and other volunteers. They use their time in stable housing to build on their strengths and put them into action.Housing
SSIHC provides scattered site housing to a range of individuals and families in Takoma Park and Silver Spring. We have apartments for small families, single-family homes for larger families, a two-family home shared by six single men, and an apartment at a senior assisted living residence. Residents typically move into our housing after spending weeks or months in homeless shelters or other temporary housing arrangements. For some of our residents, this is the first stable housing they have had in several years.
"The best thing about SSIHC is that we can finally get a house to settle down in and ... we can grow in this house and I like that." --13 year-old SSIHC resident
"They not only found a great home for me, but they gave me the support I needed to get back on my feet so I no longer had to worry about where I would sleep and eat every night." --52 year-old SSIHC resident
"SSIHC offers the men who live there security and a sense of stability. These are basically things we take for granted but for them they are a luxury...This home gives the men a chance to plan for the future and live lives as individuals. They can maintain their home, get to know each other, and build ties to the community." --caseworker for residents at SSIHC house
Support Services
Case Management and Mentoring|
SSIHC provides a unique blend of professional case management services and volunteer mentoring to our residents throughout the duration of their stay in our housing. Residents develop a goal plan with their case manager that includes the support services they believe they need to achieve their social, emotional, educational, and financial objectives. | |||
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Our volunteer mentors provide residents with an extra layer of support, connecting them to neighborhood and community resources such as schools, daycare, and social and recreational activities. In turn, these SSIHC volunteers learn life-long lessons about the challenges confronting individuals who struggle with the profound disadvantages of poverty and homelessness. | ||
Case Study
You all just don't know what it's like not knowing where you're going to live next. It's so hard having to keep moving your kids around. They can't make friends, and they can't get settled into school because the next thing you know, you have to move again." --Carrie, SSIHC resident and motherLike other SSIHC families, Carrie described her life of moving from place to place, uprooting her family and losing hope. Carrie kept moving from one temporary living arrangement to the next (family, friends, motels, shelters) but with help from her county social worker, Carrie found us...and everything started to change.
Since moving into our cottage at St. Luke Lutheran in Silver Spring, Carrie has completed a Certified Nursing Assistant training program and found full-time employment at a local hospital. All of her school-age children now feel comfortable in their new schools where they are making friends and having their first pajama parties. Her mentors even started a Homework Club where the kids can go after school to receive extra help with their school work.
Carrie and other SSIHC residents have told us that our programs give them the confidence to move on.
"What we really needed was a little extra support and a stable place for our kids. Once we knew that our kids would be okay, then we could work on our other issues like finding work and getting out of debt."