How do we deliver on this promise?
Just like the families we support, we have goals, too. One of our most important outcomes is that the entire family has success. By including this critical “whole family, two-generation” approach in our services, we are able to support both parent and child, with results seen in the short term, during their stay with us at Marguerite’s Place, as well as continued growth as they move forward to permanent housing, financial and career stability, and family wellness.
But to do all this, there is a crucial first step: building trusting relationships – holistically, authentically, compassionately, and patiently. With personalized and intentional case management, we are able to align each family’s personal, professional, and cultural goals. Sharing a story of survival, as well as one of dreams, is an incredibly vulnerable moment. With our strengths-based model of support, we know if we allow our families the space to feel seen and heard and empower them to see their worth, they can move from crisis to stability to whole-family success.
By incorporating concrete skill-building opportunities, in combination with intentional social and community connection, we guide our residents with structured programming such as financial literacy and credit repair, parent support groups and early education workshops, life skills enhancement and mental health wellness sessions. All of these tools help to mobilize our families on their path to self-sufficiency, with us playing supporting roles in their story. As our families reclaim the narrative of their story, they write the chapters of their countless possibilities
But we must not forget their partners in this journey: their children.
Equally as important to us is the success of our youngest residents. Whether they reside within the walls of our apartments or within the walls of our childcare classrooms, many of our children have experienced early childhood trauma, including living in poverty, homelessness, or witnessing violence. As a society, we know that all children should have the same opportunities, regardless of circumstances that are out of their control.
Our two-generation approach positions the whole family to thrive. Our teachers assess a child’s development and implement individualized supports and design curriculum that emphasizes social-emotional development.
You will often find one of our trauma-informed Early Childhood Educators accompanying a parent to an IEP meeting with the school district or customizing at-home schedules that will parallel their daytime schedules, a nod to the well-known fact that children need this consistency and routine in order to trust their environments, and the grown-ups within them. It’s “all hands on deck” as families and caregivers work together to achieve their child’s goals and assure that their children are getting the head start that they deserve.
Why do we do this critical work?
All of us at Marguerite’s Place resoundingly believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to rebuild. Misfortune does not dictate a person’s outcomes. We put into action every day, in big and little ways, a philosophy of service that is authentic and true to our mission: families CAN move from crisis to stability and independence with dignity, if they are shown compassion, provided with the tools and resources needed to succeed, and perhaps most important, have someone who believes in them. At first, they may need that to be me, or you, but by the end of their journey with Marguerite’s Place, that person will be them.
