My name is Krystal Steward, and I have worked at Avalon for almost four years.

I have to honestly say that before working here I knew that homelessness was a serious issue throughout the world and within our society, but after working here and seeing it as well as hearing about it firsthand on a daily basis I’ve realized that it is a much more serious issue than what I had ever imagined or thought before working here.

On a daily basis I hear some of the most horrific stories from women living on the street with their children, people living in the woods, vacant buildings, and garages. The stories I hear make you want to give the clothes off your back and the roof over your head to these people.

Here at Avalon we work from a waiting list, and once we open it it fills up pretty quickly. We get more applicants than we have apartments. Our waiting list has been closed since April, 2005. I remember feeling so excited when we opened it knowing that we would be helping alot of people. When we closed it I felt a little sad because I knew that it would be a few more years before we would be able to open it again. And, of course, there were more people who needed us and hand’t made it in time to get on the waiting list.

When I started working at Avalon my major in college was Criminal Justice, but within a year of working here I changed it to Human Services/Social Work. I switched because I am a people person and love helping others, but mainly because working here made me appreciate people even more and made me want to make a difference in people’s lives that are less fortunate.

Avalon deals with a range of different individuals - from the mentally ill, disabled, families, and homeless - and no matter what their background might be I have the same amount of respect and caring for them all because they are all my tenants and it makes me really happy that we can house them and give them a place to call home.

It was one big room of giving, if you ask me.

Volunteers giving their time to make the event run smoothly, to take pictures, pop popcorn, and serve our guests.

Donated auction items literally overflowed the two tables, and the local producers and businesses who gave them did so without hesitation.

Two fantastic local bands  - Orpheum Bell and Billy King and the Idylls - gave their time and literally their talent to create an atmosphere of joy and fun. (My toes tapped even as I reflected.)

Sponsors, supporters and friends sharing their sense of fun and community as they (literally) stepped out onto the dance floor for Avalon.

Finally, Mark Hodesh and the staff of Downtown Home and Garden shared their space to make it all possible. 

Everyone brought something with them that evening - good spirits, music, time, and energy - and when we put it all together we took another step to ending homelessness.

Crocuses and daffodils are making their way, and here at Avalon we’re dreaming and planning for spring and the Second Annual Hometown Hootenanny at Downtown Home and Garden on Friday, May 16^th.

To help get ready you can:

• polish your dancing shoes

• visit Billy King and the Idylls and Orpheum Bell on-line so you can sing along

• practice waving your bid card vigorously for the Live Auction

• make a list of friends you could invite

• start perusing the Farmer’s Market  to let us know of your favorite growers and producers of locally made, useful stuff

• mark the date on your calendar

• know that you’ll be helping to end homelessness in our community. (There’s something to dance about!)

Mark Hodesh, owner of Ann Arbor’s Downtown Home and Garden, believes in community. Offering local producers and growers an outlet for their wares – everything from Frog Holler Farm organic seedlings to Two Bees Candles– his store is an opportunity to find some of the best locally produced items around outside of the Farmer’s Market.

Mark also graciously opened his door to Avalon for our newest (and possible soon to be all-around-favorite!) event – the Hometown Hootenanny. Our first ever Hootenanny in May, 2007, was a great success that would not have been possible without Mark.

During a recent conversation with Mark about the upcoming event, I asked him about his interest in local growers and producers. He pondered for a moment as Lewis, Downtown Home and Garden’s resident cat, strolled across his laptop and stopped to take a quick bath.

“It’s what we do. We’re the community, and we interact with the community. I grew up here in Ann Arbor, and remember walking down Main Street with my mother when elm trees lined both sides of the street. When I bought this building in 1975 from the Hertler’s there was my place, Schlenker Hardware, and Ann Arbor Implement. Between the three of us we were more far-reaching than any big box store could ever be.”

Mark shared more of his memories and impressions of Ann Arbor, and the downtown area. It was incredible to see the city through his eyes, and experience if only for a moment, the changes he has seen.

“This used to be a not-so-nice part of town. Old Town used to the Union Bar, and they served shots and eggs starting at 7am. There was a line around the block. Now families stroll the streets, and you get to know people having a store downtown. Real people, real lives. That’s what makes it interesting.”

I shared with Mark how grateful Avalon Housing is for his support over the years – donations to our Silent Auctions and other events - but that I was also amazed at his willingness to let organizations like Avalon use his store for events.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’m a funny guy like that. I’m not very charity oriented, but I have confidence in your organization. My business runs better if people have homes and places to live.”

And the Kiwanis share their joy in the community. Recently, Avalon Housing received a grant from the Kiwanis to help expand a Document Support Program for Avalon Tenants. Carole McCabe, Director of Tenant Programs, writes a bit here about the impact of this program and the pivotal role the Kiwanis play for our tenants.

“As our tenants work toward self-sufficiency, they are almost always involved in accessing government and community resources through applications for entitlement benefits, food, furniture, financial assistance, and more.  Obtaining the necessary documents for this process- birth certificates, drivers licenses, state identification cards- is costly, especially when transportation costs are included. For families in particular, the cost of these documents goes above and beyond what they are able to plan for in their limited monthly budgets.  It is also uncommon for these families to be able to afford a car, and assistance with bus tokens and passes can make a big difference in being able to access these essential resources. 

“Despite the barriers our tenants may face - prior homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence - they work hard to be an integral part of the community. They live, work, and play in the Ann Arbor area. The support from Kiwanis will assist tenants in accessing community resources. This will allow them to afford and locate the basic needs, including food, clothing, health care, child care, and household supplies. If a family has fewer worries about day-to-day needs, they will be on their way to being an active part of the community, which benefits all of us. 

“We have been funding direct tenant assistance like this from the Carrot Way Community Center operations budget, but the need has increased as our successful engagement efforts have expanded the number of tenants who are involved in moving forward with their action plans.

I heard a song on the radio the other day, “Where do you go when you can’t go home?” It made me think of the line in a Robert Frost poem “Home is the place that when you go there they have to take you in.” I can’t imagine not having a place where you would feel welcome and have a family to take you in. And that got me thinking of Avalon Housing.

I first became aware of Avalon Housing a few years ago when I attended one of their fund raisers at the request of my niece who works there. I knew very little about it at the time but what I knew sounded good and I knew my niece. The need for housing for those who are out of most options is critical and seems to be growing by the day. Sometimes the problem seems so huge that we may be tempted to throw up our hands and give up. But that is not the way at Avalon. They started small and after fifteen years have grown from 6 units to 190 units. But what really got to me was the way they created not just a roof over their heads for their tenants but a community and a family. I will never forget the pride that was evident in the faces of the people that I met there. This was theirs and they wanted to show it to me. They not only had a place to live but they had a responsibility to others living with them and a support system to let them know they are not alone.

There are a number of temporary shelters for those in need, but we all need permanency in our lives in order to thrive. This, I think, is the greatest thing about Avalon. It gives a sense of permanency and support like a family would. My hat is off to the staff of Avalon that shows such commitment, perseverance and forward thinking. Now, I guess what they need is for those of us who appreciate what they are doing, to become more active in our support. Then we can truly answer the question in that song. We need to be sure there is a place to go when they can’t go home.

Sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation  in collaboration with the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness, the award recognizes best examples of supportive housing for homeless persons. Carrot Way is one of four housing developments for families selected nationally.

Applications were evaluated for their creativity in addressing local housing needs, quality of design, originality and innovation in financing and affordability, and success in implementing the project. The finalists will attend an awards program in January in Washington, D. C. Four winners will receive $75,000 and ten honorable mentions will receive $10,000 each. For the full press release, click here.