Conventional wisdom warns against bringing work home with you, but what do you do when it comes to you anyway?  That's what  happened with one unsuspecting JOIN outreach worker.  Happily working on his car at home, he was approached  by a teenage boy selling candy.  When he asked the boy what the proceeds supported, the boy replied that he was trying to earn  money for rent so that his family could move in to an apartment.  His family had been without housing for about a month and had been spending nights at friends’ houses and in their car.  The outreach worker, thinking he might be able to do much more than simply buy a candy bar, gave the boy his business card to give to his grandmother and asked the boy to have her come in to JOIN.

The boy’s grandmother, Liza, came into JOIN the next day with her family – one adult daughter, Victoria,  and 5 grandchildren.  Liza has had surgery on both her knees and does not get around well.  The children’s mother is not living with them because of a substance abuse problem so their aunt, Victoria, has become the primary caregiver.  They had been looking for apartments to rent but there were few options that would accommodate them all and they were having difficulty saving enough for the move-in and deposit expenses.  Becuase Liza receives social security benefits and Victoria was starting a new  job we immediately accessed our network of private market landlords and quickly secured two adjoining apartments for this non-traditional yet cohesive  family.  Three days after being approached to buy candy, JOIN helped this family move into permanent housing. 

JOIN's outreach is not about referrals, or sitting behind a desk waiting for people to come to us.  It happens everywhere, sometimes in our own front yard