Building a Support Structure to Minimize Homelessness
A lot of people in Anchorage have spent a lot of time talking about how to address homelessness in our community. It has become a prevailing theme of elected Assembly Members, but one Faith-Based Organization has been addressing this issue in the neighborhoods of Fairview and Mt View for a couple of decades. We can speculate that hundreds of Alaskans young and old have gotten on their feet and are now productive citizens because of a hand-up instead of a hand-out by Shiloh Community Housing.
Read more about Shiloh Community Housing HERE:
https://donnliston.co/2022/09/shiloh-community-housing-has-big-plans/
Participants of Shiloh Community Housing LIFE Program (Living Independent Forever) and Life At Work Program were given beautiful quilts made for them by a local quilting group in a magnanimous expression of love and hope. Some 35 quilts had been blessed by two local church congregations over two separate Sundays in preparation for this pre-Thanksgiving gathering and celebration.
Shenee’ explained how the quilters became involved with Shiloh Community Housing, “I applied for a grant from St. John Methodist Church which is located here in Anchorage, to fund a program serving our transitional housing program for young adults 18 to 24 that are experiencing homelessness. The women’s ministry of this church heard about our program and thought what a wonderful idea, to make quilts for program participants. They reached out to the women of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and others in the community to work with them to make quilts. Long story short, 35 quilts were made with donated items. The skill required and the time that these women took out from their life to make these quilts is priceless!
Judy Castrock, Susie Harnasch, Roz Headley, Linda Heim, Mary Quesnel, Jane Russell, Bruce Kakel, Barbara Knapp, Cleta Moreau, Diane Miller, Caitlin Risi, Joan Seaman, and Susan Westervelt.
Barbara Knapp
Shiloh’s LIFE and Life At Work programs include both young women and young men.
I’m really hoping the young adults we work with, some of whom have come to a conclusion that no one cares, will recognize that some complete strangers made these quilts for them, said Williams – that they understand how much time, effort and love went into making these quilts, for them. They need to realize that people DO care about them, and this is what they’ve done—just out of the goodness of their heart.
