St. James’ Dexter has partnered with Faith In Action to sponsor a fully furnished apartment for a single mother in need of a place to live. The Hilltop View Project was led by the St. James’ Outreach Committee, along with Rev. Carol Mader, as an effort to provide furnishings at the Hilltop View Apartments in Dexter. The apartments are newly constructed units open to income-based applicants who have experienced housing insecurities, homelessness, or who are military veterans.
“We provided everything so that a person can walk in the door and have a home.” -Rev. Carol Mader
The people of St. James’ donated furniture, kitchen supplies, and money along with over 60 new or gently used household necessities. There were 20 large furniture items, including beds, dressers, bedside tables, a dining room table, dining room chairs, living room chairs, a coffee table, a TV table, TV, and chairs for the outside deck area. They provided over 40 smaller items needed to establish a healthy home; lamps for each room, sauce and frying pans, matching dishes, matching silverware, drinking cups, coffee mugs, mixing bowls, baking dishes, cookie sheets, cutting boards, measuring cups, a coffee maker, a microwave and a vacuum.
As Faith In Action made final living arrangements, the Outreach Committee quickly used the information they were provided about the new residents to make sure the bed was a crib that transitions into a toddler bed and that the bed side table for that room was actually a shelving unit for books and toys. The group also purchased a baby gate and will soon be providing a stockpile of diapers, wipes and toddler friendly snacks.
St. James’ was also able to provide a small tool kit and a basic first aid kit for each of the 24 apartments in the Hilltop View complex.
This effort continues St. James’ long standing mission to provide housing and housing assistance to those most vulnerable in their community. Faith In Action has also begun the process of a long term lease of The Mission House. The Mission House is the former rectory of St. James’ that was converted into temporary housing assistance. Since it’s launch, The Mission House has been a temporary home to 12 people for lengths that range from 2 weeks to 3 years.