The Smiles Foundation, Emergency Housing Unit

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Leeds, England registered UK Charity No.1087961
Kingsport, USA charitable non-profit # 86-0957704
Oradea, Romania registered Charity No.14839712

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EMERGENCY HOUSING UNIT - Mirlou

Soon after Smiles established the Family Care Project, our close working with the families uncovered other serious problems that were being faced. With the family financial difficulties came the threat of eviction – losing the family home – and finding themselves living on the streets.

To meet this crisis, Smiles launched the ‘Housing Project’ allowing sponsored houses to be purchased to provide ‘secure homes’ for families to move to. Sometimes, the urgency of the homeless family meant moving faster than it would take to find a sponsor for the home. As time past, it was felt an ‘Emergency Housing Unit’, will provide the answer to the immediate crisis, allowing time to find a sponsor and a suitable house for the long term housing needs.

So in 2003 a building that had been used during the communist regime as the local town offices was purchased by The Smiles Foundation for £5,000 / $9,000.

It didn’t look much at the time, but we had big dreams for its development and use.

This was a single storey building in a dreadful state of disrepair. However, the vision of our Chief Executive and Building Advisor was making this derelict building into a wonderful two-storey facility which would enable The Smiles Foundation to temporarily house ‘the homeless’. Single people, married couples and/or families, all who face the trauma of eviction could find security in this ‘Emergency facility’.

Progress on the building has gone well with many Mission Teams working on the building through out the years and finally, we were able to open the Unit in May 2006.

Facility managers, Petru and Maria Fule have been employed to both care for the facility and the occupants.

The ground floor of the building is providing the Emergency Housing. It consists of two family rooms; I single room, 1 communal kitchen; 2 bathrooms; and a conservatory for dishes and clothes washing facilities for all residents.

The upper floor is a 3 bedroom apartment for the residential managers of the Emergency Housing Unit to live in.

The dream and imagination from the early days is now a reality. The costs of the renovations to this building have been £37,348 / $67,226 including the interior furnishings.

This building is a wonderful safe and secure facility for families in need that we know are currently living on the streets.

Please help with Operating Costs which are £15,000 / $30,000 a year.

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    Page last updated on 31/07/2008 09:00:29 PM
   by ADMIN1