According to Dwell with Dignity’s Interim Executive Director Teresa Charnock,
“Imagine yourself in Jessica’s [Name has been changed.] shoes. Surviving abuse from her husband, she decided to escape with her children and was forced to live out of her car for a year. She eventually found one of Dwell with Dignity’s partner agencies but without a penny and struggling with a lack of self-worth. Our partner agency gave her the vital tools and help she needed to rebuild. After months of hard work, many classes, and building some savings, Jessica* was finally able to sign a lease for her own apartment, a place where she and her children could be safe. When Dwell with Dignity meets the families at this stage, many only have one shared blow-up mattress to bring to their new apartment. When we sit down with the mothers, some cannot even tell us their favorite color because they have never been allowed to have one.
“Dwell with Dignity’s mission is to transform lives through design. Our goal is to help families escape homelessness and poverty through design; one household at a time. Since 2009, we have worked with partner agencies that have programs in place to help families reach financial stability. The agencies then nominate families to our program and we complete approximately 24 home transformations a year, averaging one every other week.
“During the process of working with the families, we develop intimate relationships. We learn who the mothers and the children are and try our best to create a space that reflects them, and that they can be proud to call home.
“The support of Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has aided Dwell with Dignity in raising over $300,000 in the past 10 years, enabling us to serve more families that are making the transition from homelessness and poverty to stability.
“32% of Dallas children are living in poverty. We believe that the best way to combat this problem is to fight the generational cycle of poverty within families. When the children walk into the newly furnished apartment, they find a space they can have friends over to play, a dinner table to eat as a family, and a separate bed for each family member to get a good night’s sleep. Our metrics show that this gift of a soothing, beautiful space helps children excel in school, feel more confident, and most importantly it gives the whole family a sense of pride in their home and in themselves, and are better able to handle their finances.
“Donations made on North Texas Giving Day directly support serving future families and enable us to provide transformational design creating a lasting impact in the lives of the mothers and their children. We feel that if we can change a child’s environment, we can change a child’s outlook on life. When we provide our families a place to be proud of and thrive in, we have set the stage for breaking the cycle of poverty and setting up future generations for success.”
* Photo credit: Goldenlight Creative ** Graphic/photo provided by Dwell with Dignity
In 15 years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $566 million into the North Texas community. In 2023, more than $63.9 million was raised through 97,000 donors benefiting 3,249 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 19, support Dwell with Dignity by clicking here and spreading the word. #NorthTexasGivingDay2024