For most people, having a safe and secure place to spend time with their loved ones, to sleep at night or a place to clean up after a long day is a given. Having a home or apartment is something that many people take for granted.
But for the more than 650,000 homeless Americans, having a place to call their own is a dream.
But families need homes. While a shelter may offer a temporary solution to get families out of the elements, a place to shelter privately together means so much more.
A Healthy Place to Stay
Because children have growing immune systems and are around so many other children at school, they are often prone to disease.
And, once they get a cold, the flu or another viral illness, they need a home where they can recuperate.
But a home also serves as a place to protect families from disease. Homelessness creates new health problems and exacerbates existing ones. According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, living on the street creates anxiety and exposes families to violence and harmful weather.
Homelessness is also the cause of malnutrition since families are unable to cook healthy foods for themselves and have to rely on meals that are high in salt, fat and sugar.
A home provides children with a safe place to go after school and a place to cook healthier meals.
A Place to Learn
The security of having a home also gives children a place to grow and learn. Research suggests that more than 50% of homeless children under the age of four have developmental delays.
If children don’t have a good night’s rest or the proper nutrition, normal development is hindered. And, beyond the physical limitations that homelessness presents, these children are often also delayed because they have limited time with a parent.
When the parent’s time is tasked with looking for shelter, they have less time to read to their children, teach them new things or even hold them close.
A Place to Build Memories
But, what children miss out on most is the ability to build a routine. Children thrive on routine, but having a set time to do homework, eat dinner or rest is disrupted when they have to move around to find a different place to shelter every night.
A home provides families with the stability necessary to bond with one another and a place to build memories.
At TORCH, our motto is that ‘no child sleeps outside.’ In most systems, families are placed in emergency, congregate shelters that may not always be suitable for young children. But, through our Housing First concept, we provide families with the ability to “shelter in a future home.”
TORCH’s two temporary housing units, Agape House and Bookhart Village, provide up to nine families with a place to live temporarily while we help them find the affordable permanent housing they need.
A home means a future for your family. If you or someone you know needs to secure their future in the Oak Ridge area, contact TORCH at (865) 318-4788 or email us at info@oakridgetorch.org. Let us help you find your future home.