#WeAreOneUs: Together, we Crush The Churn in Our Communities
When Solutions for Change was founded in 1999, it was inspired by a promise to a child who was sleeping on the floor of a shelter with her family. We thought, this is not right, and started our journey to end family homelessness. Our innovative approach of tackling root issues proved effective at helping families permanently overcome homelessness. We learned that homelessness is just a symptom and without addressing problems like addiction, trauma, and the lack of personal and professional skills, these families would continue to live in a churn of dependency and pain.
Solutions for Change understands that the current landscape of services only perpetuates the problem and is the reason why it has doubled in size over the past decade. We see how vast the problems are—impacting people from all walks of life and of all ages. We are facing The Churn, a dangerous cycle of difficulty and dependence that has kept millions of people stuck for generations.
Our years of lifting people out of The Churn has taught us an essential principle: It takes a community to lift people up beyond their vulnerabilities. Joining forces as a community is the only way we ensure the cycle breaks.
So now, Solutions for Change’s programs must evolve in order to sufficiently address the needs of our time and inspire entire communities to help their neighbors out of The Churn. That evolution began in September 2020 with our newest initiative: #WeAreOneUs.
#WeAreOneUs is a grassroots movement changing how communities See and Act on homelessness. The current national and local response is a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach that does not prepare those in The Churn to live as independent, contributing citizens, and does not prepare their communities to support them. #WeAreOneUs calls upon everyone to consider what can happen when we are able to help the least of us become the best of us.
This movement started with 21 Overcomers who transformed their lives through Solutions and are now happy, healthy and independent. They signed a pledge to take on the responsibility of leading a ground-up, community-based, market-driven movement to serve the community that served them and help other families break free of The Churn.
As Solutions for Change continues to grow, these 21 Overcomers will be a catalyst for change—revolutionizing how communities consider The Churn and encouraging others to become Solutions advocates.
In our eyes, a large-scale, community-based approach to solving The Churn is the best way. While Solutions Academy can address consequences of The Churn like homelessness, only a purposeful societal shift can address the causes of The Churn. #WeAreOneUs is our way to combine the forces of Solutions Enterprises, Solutions in the Community and our neighbors to contribute to that shift.
The key to growing #WeAreOneUs is community involvement. Our volunteer opportunities through Solutions in the Community allow people to gain a deeper understanding of The Churn. That understanding can shape their perspective of those overcoming The Churn and make our communities more supportive and open.
Our community partnerships through Solutions Enterprise encourage local businesses to hire Overcomers. When they commit to giving Overcomers a second chance at life, they give them employment that keeps them out of The Churn and on a path of continuous improvement.
There are endless ways to become an advocate for Overcomers in your community. Volunteer for Solutions in the Community. Share the mission of Solutions for Change and the purpose of #WeAreOneUs on social media. Donate to Solutions to promote our programs. Connect with our Overcomers to learn how you can fight The Churn in your daily life. We only end The Churn if we do it as a caring, supportive community. Every bit of advocacy helps.
The #WeAreOneUs movement has only begun. And as it grows, we will create more ways for the least of us to become the best of us.
