Melanie Richter, the senior director of development for Project HOME, gets straight to the point when she is asked about the mission of the nonprofit.
"Our focus is on eliminating homelessness in the City of Philadelphia," she says.
How? HOME is an acronym that highlights the myriad of services provided:
• H is for Housing – There are 936 units of affordable and supportive housing for people who have experienced homelessness and low-income persons at risk of homelessness in Philadelphia.
• O is for Opportunities – Project HOME provides workforce training to help adults secure and retain competitive jobs.
• M is for Medical Care – Through the Stephen Klein Wellness Center, Project Home offers prenatal through geriatric health care.
• E is for Education – From after-school programs and summer camp for children to college access programs for teens to adult education and vocational training, Project HOME knows that knowledge is key to eradicate homelessness.
Richter is a first-generation college graduate in her family. As a Southwest Philadelphia native, she witnessed the situations and traps that others were not so fortunate to escape – drugs, foster care. Project HOME is her way of giving back to the city that has molded her into the person she is today.
"It's about respecting the individuality of people and their journeys and not making them ashamed about it, but helping them figure out where they want to go and what pieces they need to fill in that puzzle to get there," Richter says. "We look at it as whole-person care. There's no cookie-cutter way of treating a person. We're all individuals. We're all different."
Some people need dental work to obtain the confidence needed to land a job. Some people just need a roof over their heads for the night.
"The biggest challenge that our city is facing right now is not having enough spots, not having enough affordable housing available," Richter says. "We're close to being able to actually eliminate homelessness in the city. We just have to get there."
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