What Makes Everybody's Place Unique?
Everybody’s Place is not a shelter or transitional (short-term) housing. It is permanent, supportive housing, a proven approach to homelessness that has proven effective across the country*. While there are some temporary housing options, currently Everybody’s Place is the only permanent supportive housing community in the Galveston County/south Houston area.
Everybody’s Place is an actual solution to homelessness that is built on five essential building blocks:
Home: Comfortable, safe and attractive. Residents pay rent (never more than 30% of their income) and abide by a community covenant.
Health: Offering access to medical and mental health services along with on-site supportive services. Services include social workers and classes to encourage recovery from substance abuse, healing from emotional wounds, healthy eating, budgeting and relationships.
Work: Helping residents find meaningful work and a dignified income through career development opportunities, resume writing and job networking.
Community: Creating a culture of acceptance, grace and joy where those without family discover a caring support system. Each person will be valued, loved and given another chance.
Spirit: Every person is deeply and permanently loved by God. Our circumstances and decisions can’t change this Truth. Introducing people to the unlimited and unending love of God, perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ, is the heartbeat of Everybody’s Place.
*Examples of existing PSH communities that have proven to be effective include:
Community First! Village in Austin
Towne Twin Village in San Antonio
Our Calling Village in south Dallas
The Values that Define Everybody's Place
Every organization is driven by certain values. Whether they are defined or subtly creep in, values become the filter through which decisions are made and the attitude that create an organization’s culture. At Everybody’s Place, we are committed to certain core values that define our decisions, our people and our commitments.
Christ-Centered
Jesus is our starting point. This is his idea, his work and we want to embody his kind of love. We don’t expect or require residents to be Christ-followers but we will work to introduce every person to the beautiful, compelling love of God in Christ. We want our words, attitudes and priorities to reflect those that we find in Jesus.
Honoring Each Person’s Dignity
Every human, despite their decisions and circumstances, is created and loved by God. There is a profound, infinite worth in every person and it is our commitment to ensure everybody discovers their unique worth.
Unconditional Acceptance
In a world where people separate and divide over social status, politics, religion and a thousand other eternally insignificant things, we will accept people who are different, honor individual freedom and love without condition.
Risk Taking
We begin with “Yes!”. We will chose to not sit on our hands because an idea is novel, untried or difficult. We will find a way to do the hard work of addressing homelessness with bold and creative decisions.
Contagious Joy
The trauma of homelessness is hard. It can harden people…whether housed or unhoused. We know the root of homelessness is a family crisis, loss and shame. We know answers aren’t easy or simple. But we will choose to be filled with joy, laughter and peace anyway. Heavy things do not have to be joyless things so we’ll create an environment where smiles and laughter flow freely.
Healing
Homelessness creates trauma, usually generational trauma. But we believe in the power of God to heal the greatest brokenness so we’ll love relentlessly, create systems that foster healing and embody the forgiveness and grace that promotes deep, generational healing.