It seems to be pretty normal for Urban Homeworks to have a number of plates spinning, so I’ve decided to be more intentional about updating you on what recipes are being compiled and in the mix. The next series of postings will achieve this goal, and you will join me in the delightful smells that are coming out of the UHW kitchen that foreshadow the tastes and fulfillment of what is to come…  

As most of you already know, we take the voices of our neighbors very seriously.  Over the years as we have unplugged toilets and worked on home projects, we have been given the opportunity to listen. The voices heard have informed, instructed and shaped the direction and understanding of Urban Homeworks. These voices have definitively carved UHW into a sharper community tool.

Because of their influence, we are putting more and more intentional time into listening—in fact, soon we will have a dedicated teammate that will help weave the tapestry of community relationships in and around our People-Oriented Developments (PODS). The Community Building team has been facilitating housewarming parties for new residents in our rental buildings and Project: RECLAIM homes.  In a recent study out of the University of Minnesota, it was reported that people move as often because of poor relationships in and around their residence as they do because of the condition of their building. Robust, vibrant, stable home (“oikos”—Greek root word for both household and economy) has as much to do with relationships as real estate.  It has as much to do with “houses” as it does with “homes.” 

As the work of UHW continues to stabilize the physical environments of houses, we also continue to work to stabilize the spiritual and relational environments of those within the houses by diligently providing opportunities to weave together the relationships that make every house a home.  UHW will keep carrying out the vision of going beyond simply fixing toilets to empowering the community by listening and connecting our homeowners to sources of dignity-building, family-strengthening, education-focused organizational resources that exist and are growing within our neighborhoods.

And if you have anything to share...we'd love to listen to you!