Ribbon Cutting Celebration for Lydia Place The Heart House
Name:
Ribbon Cutting Celebration for Lydia Place The Heart House
Date:
October 10, 2019
Time:
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM PDT
Event Description:
Join us to celebrate the ribbon cutting and ceremonial groundbreaking for Lydia Place's new building - Heart House.
The Heart House development will serve as a mixed-use, three story, Permanent Supportive Housing and licensed day care facility to support low-income (at or below 30% of the Area Median Income) homeless mothers and children with high-needs identified by our communities Coordinated Entry System. The second and third floors will include a total of 11 housing units comprised of one and two bedroom apartments for homeless mothers and children from prenatal to 5 years of age. The licensed day care center on the main floor will provide full-time care for up to 32 children between the ages of 12 months and 5 years.
Families at the Heart House will benefit from the same quality of care and services that Lydia Place’s integrated model is already known for; such as home-based intensive case management and community building activities through Lydia Place's Campus Support Program, evidence-based home-visiting parenting education and parenting classes from our Parent Support Program, flexible/in-home therapy through our Mental Health Program, on-site access to services Monday through Friday, a 24-hour support line, and a large community garden and spring/summer enrichment programs.
This development was designed to address to two distinct crisis significantly impacting families with young children here in our community. The first is a housing affordability and availability crisis, with vacancy rates below 2% and rental rates continuing to rise. The second is a broken childcare system that perpetuates the cycle of poverty by continuing to make it more affordable for a parent to stay at home, rather than join the work force. According to a report released by the Opportunity Council in March of 2018, there are only enough licensed childcare slots for 32% of Whatcom County's children, and even fewer that accept State subsidy. Both these realities make it even more unlikely that families struggling with a housing crisis or experiencing homelessness will be able to get back on their feet. And further, it places children at greater risk as parents are forced to accept alternative and potentially risky childcare options or face losing their jobs. Heart House aims to address both these current needs by combining low-income permanent supportive housing and onsite licensed childcare.
It is the goal of Lydia Place to demonstrate, through Heart House, the effectiveness of building community through place-based and integrated services and continue to move families out of homelessness and into sustained independence.
The Heart House development will serve as a mixed-use, three story, Permanent Supportive Housing and licensed day care facility to support low-income (at or below 30% of the Area Median Income) homeless mothers and children with high-needs identified by our communities Coordinated Entry System. The second and third floors will include a total of 11 housing units comprised of one and two bedroom apartments for homeless mothers and children from prenatal to 5 years of age. The licensed day care center on the main floor will provide full-time care for up to 32 children between the ages of 12 months and 5 years.
Families at the Heart House will benefit from the same quality of care and services that Lydia Place’s integrated model is already known for; such as home-based intensive case management and community building activities through Lydia Place's Campus Support Program, evidence-based home-visiting parenting education and parenting classes from our Parent Support Program, flexible/in-home therapy through our Mental Health Program, on-site access to services Monday through Friday, a 24-hour support line, and a large community garden and spring/summer enrichment programs.
This development was designed to address to two distinct crisis significantly impacting families with young children here in our community. The first is a housing affordability and availability crisis, with vacancy rates below 2% and rental rates continuing to rise. The second is a broken childcare system that perpetuates the cycle of poverty by continuing to make it more affordable for a parent to stay at home, rather than join the work force. According to a report released by the Opportunity Council in March of 2018, there are only enough licensed childcare slots for 32% of Whatcom County's children, and even fewer that accept State subsidy. Both these realities make it even more unlikely that families struggling with a housing crisis or experiencing homelessness will be able to get back on their feet. And further, it places children at greater risk as parents are forced to accept alternative and potentially risky childcare options or face losing their jobs. Heart House aims to address both these current needs by combining low-income permanent supportive housing and onsite licensed childcare.
It is the goal of Lydia Place to demonstrate, through Heart House, the effectiveness of building community through place-based and integrated services and continue to move families out of homelessness and into sustained independence.
