summer time

Dear Friends of Harbor House,

Since childhood I have always envisioned Summer as hopeful and generous. As a parent, it has always been my favorite time of year. Children have fewer
commitments and more time to be together. Time for family vacations and long days at the beach and longer, deeper conversations. And of course, books…and more books.

For many of the clients we work with at Harbor House, Summer is no different
than any other season. Parents often work multiple jobs and still have worries about bills, rent, groceries and the cost of gas on their minds daily. When school lets out, so does their childcare. The increases in the cost of living are felt by everyone these days, but none so keenly as those who work for minimum wage to feed their families.

In fighting homelessness, our very first concern is keeping housed people. This means our greatest expense currently is rental assistance. This month we have spent $25,881 on 20 households with 37 individuals remaining in their homes – an average of $1,300 per household. Can you imagine a working family losing their housing for the want of $1,300 because they chose groceries for their children over rent? We aim to lighten the burdens of these families whenever we can.

The very important work we do could never be done without your constant
generosity. You make this work possible. And at Harbor House, we could not be
more grateful to you.
 
"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send out a ripple of hope.”  -Robert Kennedy

Gratefully,
Denise Cortes
Director, Harbor House
dcortes@harborhouseto.org
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