Graduate Receives Scholarship for University of Phoenix
Spring 2009
Partners in Housing recently held our biennial Graduate Recognition event at the Pikes Peak Center, followed by a beautiful concert to benefit Partners in Housing by the Colorado Springs Chorale and Ms. Lila Mori. It was a remarkable experience, and I believe everyone there was moved – both by the short “graduation” ceremony and by the incredible performance of the Chorale and Ms. Mori.
During the pre-concert dessert reception, I took the opportunity to talk about why we refer to those in the Partners in Housing program as “Partners” rather than “clients.” The reason is we at Partners in Housing work with them, and not for them, as they strive to prevail over the difficult circumstances that made them homeless, and as they work toward becoming productive, contributing members of our community.
In the 18+ years Partners in Housing has been in existence, we have sustained a 65-70% success rate. That means that almost 7 out of 10 of the 600 homeless families and individuals who have come to us during that time have successfully achieved their goals and in many cases, are now giving back to the community in many different ways.
Unfortunately, that also means that 3 out 10 of those families were either unable – or in some cases, unwilling – to put in the hard work and determination needed to overcome their difficult situation.
When that happens, we try very hard to help those folks get back on the right track, but there is only so much that we can do. The greatest burden is, and must be, on them.
And for that reason, just as we refer to our families as “Partners,” we also refer to those who successfully complete the Partners in Housing program and move on to achieve self-sufficiency as our Graduates.
As I mentioned at the reception, no one in the world of academia has to face the incredible challenges, work so hard, and overcome so many real-life obstacles in order to earn the title of Graduate as our Partners, who have beaten the odds and overcome the tragedy of homelessness.
The wonderful musical program we enjoyed following the ceremony was entitled “A Breath of Spring” and was intended to represent the hope and renewal that the coming of spring brings after a long, dark winter. That analogy was so appropriate for the occasion. Those families and individuals who have graduated from Partners in Housing over the past 18+ years truly have overcome the hardships of the dark, cold winter of homelessness, and have successfully made it through to the warm springtime of self-sufficiency.
The small group of Partners in Housing Graduates attending the event not only deserved special recognition in their own right, but they also represented the hard work and accomplishments of the 90 Partner families and individuals who have achieved self-sufficiency over the past 2 years (since our last graduate recognition event).
Perhaps most significant is the 180 or so children of the families in that group who have also escaped the terrible cycle of poverty and homelessness, and now have a fighting chance to build their own bright future filled with hope and opportunity….
Overall accomplishments of the Partners in Housing Graduates attending the recognition event included the completion of bachelor degrees in various subjects; obtaining full-time employment; improving financial management skills; living in permanent housing; serving on the Board of Directors for a local housing agency; getting married; developing a plan to start their own business; and purchasing a home of their own! One of our Partners in Housing graduates was presented with a scholarship to complete her higher education goals with the University of Phoenix! Congratulations everyone.
