Community Action House

Community Action House is a nonprofit social services organization based in Holland, Michigan. In collaboration with Good Samaritan Ministries, the organization established a Community Housing Partnership program, which in 2005, was the national Recipient of the Partners in Transformation Award from the Faith and Service Technical Education Network and the Points of Light Foundation.

Organization history

The organization was founded in 1969. For over 40 years, the organization has assisted in feeding and clothing families, providing housing, and equipping community members with skills and resources to allow provision for sustainable living.

National recognition

In 1996, Community Action House partnered with another local social services organization, Good Samaritan Ministries, to establish a program called Community Housing Partnership (CHP). The CHP program serves families over an 18-month period as they move from homelessness to stable housing. Community Action House and Good Samaritan Ministries have provided positive results with 80 percent of the program participants leaving homelessness. Twenty percent of those graduates have become homeowners.

In 2005, the CHP program received national recognition as a recipient of the Partners in Transformation Award from the Faith and Service Technical Education Network (FASTEN), a collaborative initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Points of Light Foundation.

Values

Community Action House is committed to a healthy community, and believes in working closely with organizations that share similar values. The goal is to strive to make effective use of resources through collaborative projects. With a mission of breaking the cycle of poverty by empowering families and individuals to achieve self-sufficiency, the overall vision of the organization is for each family and individual to reach a point of self-sufficiency. This allows them to contribute their gifts, skills and resources to the rest of society in a meaningful and tangible way.

Focus areas

  • Emergency Services
  • Food Pantry
  • Clothing Pantry
  • Personal Care Items
  • Foreclosure Prevention
  • Homelessness Prevention
  • Transitional Housing
  • Educational Programs and Classes
  • Community Kitchen
  • Community Garden
  • Thrift Store

Foreclosure prevention

Community Action House offers Foreclosure Prevention Counseling to assist homeowners in understanding the foreclosure process, budgeting for continued home ownership, and negotiating with mortgage companies to secure alternative loan work out options to avoid foreclosure. When foreclosure prevention is not possible, families are provided with ongoing support for budgeting and locating future affordable, stable housing.

Since the program began in November 2008, Community Action House has helped keep over 120 families in their homes. As the foreclosure crisis continues in West Michigan, over 260 residents of Ottawa and Allegan counties contacted the Foreclosure Prevention Program in 2010.

Community partnerships

Community Action House has partnered with Greater Ottawa County United Way, Good Samaritan Ministries, Western Theological Seminary and Michigan Works Association.

See Also

Rosewater Limited Liability Company

Rosewater Limited Liability Company is a homeless advocacy organization founded in Cleveland, Ohio...