EMERGENCY HOUSING UNIT
Soon after Smiles
established the Family Care Project, our close working with the
families uncovered other serious problems that were being faced. With
the family financial difficulties came the threat of eviction – losing
the family home – and finding themselves living on the streets.
To
meet this crisis, Smiles launched the Residential Housing Project allowing
sponsored houses to be purchased to provide ‘secure homes’ for
families to move to. Sometimes, the urgency of the homeless family
meant moving faster than it would take to find a sponsor for the home.
As time past, it was felt an Emergency Housing Unit, will provide the
answer, allowing time to find a sponsor and a suitable house for the
longer term housing needs.
In 2003, a building that had been used during the communist
regime as the local town offices
was purchased by The Smiles Foundation for a small
amount of £5,000 /
$9,000.
We didn't get much for our money! The land of course, and a solid
communist built foundation upon which we could build what was needed.
It didn't look much at the time, but we had big dreams for its
development and use.
This
was a single storey building in a dreadful state of disrepair, but the
vision of Smiles was to make this derelict building into a wonderful
two-storey facility which would enable The Smiles Foundation to
temporarily house ‘the homeless’ and the vulnerable. Single people,
married couples and/or families, all who face the trauma of eviction
could find security in this ‘Emergency facility’. We also partnered
with the State Social Department and Child Protection Agency in
providing care and security for victims of domestic abuse.
Many Mission Teams worked on the building through out
the years and finally, we were able to open the Unit in May 2006. Facility managers,
Petru and Maria
Fule were employed
to
care
for the facility and the occupants.
The ground floor of the building provides the Emergency Housing.
It consists of two family rooms; 1single room, 1 communal kitchen; 2
bathrooms; and a conservatory for dishes and clothes washing
facilities for all residents.
The upper floor is a 3 bedroom apartment for
the residential managers of the Emergency Housing Unit to live in.
The dream and imagination from the early days is now a
reality.
Please help with Operating Costs which
are £17,350 / $30,000
a year.
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