Home 1
The furnishing of this home was sponsored by the Destino Fund. Welcoming Home and this family are so grateful for the grant that enabled us to help give this family a real home.
Ellen, along with her six-year old daughter and two-year-old son, live in Home 1; they were referred to us by Homeward Bound
Ellen hasn't had her own home for many years due to health issues. She left an abusive relationship and was able to get into a transitional living program where she could keep her kids with her. Eventually, she moved from that program to a group home where the three of them shared one room.
Ellen was recently laid off from work and is currently looking for a new job in retail. She is focused on finding work and raising her kids. She is so grateful to have a place in which they each have their own room!
Ellen, who hasn’t had a place to call her own for so long, was so thrilled that upon returning home she immediately called a friend and FaceTimed her as she walked through the house. She exclaimed “I have a real living room!”
The kids faces when they saw their rooms spoke volumes! Jordan commented on her “rainbow curtains with stars” as she approached the house. She loved her desk, dollhouse and the mini standing mirror was a hit. Noah was so excited about Spider-man everything! Princess, their kitten even got a new bed and scratcher!
Home 2/3
An extended family of ten all live together in one home. Elaine, her husband and four children represent "Home 2." Elaine's grandmother, cousin and two children are "Home 3." The large family was referred to us by North Marin Community Services.
Elaine lived with her grandmother from the age of six, when Elaine’s mother left Guatemala and moved to the US. Years later, Elaine and her husband, finding no work in their home country, decided to join Elaine's mother in America and moved here with their oldest son while she was pregnant with her second son.
Elaine was finally reunited with her mother after a quarter century apart. For five years, they rented a 2BR apt that was filled with mold and little heat, which caused the children to become ill.
Now, as an extended family, Elaine and her husband just moved into a 3 BR 2 BA house with Elaine’s cousin and her two children, along with Elaine’s mother.
Elaine looked forward to cooking for her large family and having a place for them all to gather together around a table. They are happy to be in a much nicer, clean home.
Elaine and her husband are eager to increase their work hours as a cleaner and construction worker, respectively.
What a homecoming! As the children raced through the garage, they stopped briefly to check out their new bike and kick the soccer ball into the nets! Then on to their rooms to discover Legos and space-theme beds! The Legos were generously donated by 11-year old Zander who told his family that it was hard for him to give them up, but that he thought "Those kids need them more than I do."
Evelin’s eyes were tearful as she walked around her comfortable new home, stopping to especially admire a table big enough for her whole family. She hugged us all with a ‘thank you’ and ‘it’s beautiful.'
The smiles of the two mothers, grandmother, father and those six beautiful boys were rays of sunshine on this dark, rainy day.
Elaine summarized her appreciation when she said "It's the difference between a house and a home."
Home 4
Sophia lives in Home 4 and was referred to us by Marin Center for Independent Living. As a practicing masseuse and osteopathic body worker, Sophia was originally displaced by the lockdown when she lost her business during the pandemic.
With no support from family or friends, Sophia resorted to living out of her car. Finally, after two years on a waiting list, she was granted a place to live. Although grateful, the mold situation in her new place made it unsafe to live in. Once again, Sophia found herself without a home.
With the help of The Marin Center for Independent Living and a caring case manager, Sophia was connected with what seemed to be a very suitable residence to begin the process of rebuilding her life. Sadly, after just two months, Sophia was informed that the buildings had been sold and that luxury apartments would soon replace the complex.
Thankfully, with The Marin Center for Independent Living acting as her safety net, Sophia was able to move to a very stable apartment with a perfect side room to resume her practice as a masseuse and osteopathic body worker.
While Sophia is extremely excited to get on with rebuilding her life, it’s been a long journey and her personal belongings have greatly dwindled over the years. To this end, she was extremely grateful for the help she was about to receive from the community and the Welcoming Home team to make her new apartment into a real home.
Sophia was beaming as she quietly walked from room to room and took it all in. “How did you guys do this?” was her first comment. When we explained that it was mostly through the kind donations of caring people, she began to tear up and gave us a hug.
That evening Sophia texted two of our volunteers. She wrote, “This is the first time I have sat in my living room and felt at home. I am in awe with what you have done."