Finding Home
Finding Home was a research project done in partnership with the Welcome Home Coalition and our community members who are currently or who recently experienced homelessness. Returning to our roots from 46 years ago, we used a participatory action research (PAR) project to center and include the community throughout the process as collaborators. Our goal at Sisters of the Road was to stand up to the current extractive research by involving those most impacted by the housing crisis.
From left to right: Gus, Elias, Katie, Megan, and Nicki, pose for a photo during the Finding Home report release party.
When speaking to why Sisters embarked on this project, some credit needs to go to one of our founders, Genny Nelson. Genny is known for her passion and the love she brought to our community through building authentic relationships, centering the community's wants and needs, and not doing for someone what they can do for themselves. She modeled community-led organizing through the founding of Sisters and the creation of “Voices from the Street: Truths About Homelessness From Sisters of the Road.” This book, published in 2007, incorporated the individual perspectives from over 500 surveys. Monica Beemer said the hope was to “build a sense of community, relationship, compassion, and awareness.” Genny’s legacy was the inspiration for the Finding Home project, which was designed, conducted, and answered by us — our neighbors, friends, and family.
The findings from this project are so important for folks to know and take seriously. The people who are most knowledgeable about ending poverty and homelessness are those with lived experience. From the survey portion of this study we had three major findings. Of the nearly 450 people surveyed:
91% said they would move into housing right then if they could afford it.
Respondents' top priorities for housing include supportive services such as rent, food and transportation assistance, and freedom to live with loved ones and pets.
Shelters are just as undesirable as being outside on the streets.
All of the findings and recommendations are now available to the public in a final report “Finding Home: Lasting Housing Solutions Rooted in Lived Experiences.”
Sisters has always been dedicated to systemic solutions to homelessness and poverty in an attempt to end them. During this time, when the organization is in a place of rebirth and growth, our staff and board are committed to centering our communities' voices. We intend to work together to make our collective vision a reality. We know that it isn’t enough to just listen to the voices of our community - we also must respond and take action in response to what we’ve heard. The findings from this project will be used to build new campaigns, educational programs, and ultimately open new opportunities for community relationships and connectivity.