Heart to Heart Campaign

Changing lives –
One Heart, One Home, One Neighbor at a Time!

Many of our most at-risk families in Cincinnati do not reach out for support and services until they find themselves in a dire situation. Often on the brink of losing their homes, jobs, and in the worst of cases their children. Years ago, while working in Price Hill, I realized that if we wanted to make a profound difference in the lives of the families in our neighborhood we would need to leave the comfort of our offices and engage our families where they live. So, we hired moms from the community to walk door-to-door and serve as block captains. Hiring moms has given community members access to meaningful employment and at the same time it has cultivated a cadre of change agents who live, work, play and worship in the same neighborhood as the families they work with.

Pease meet Valerie. She has been a block captain for over two years and during her time as a captain she has worked through the Price Hill Will Homesteading Program and she is now a homeowner. Last month she earned her High School diploma and is studying to get her driver’s license so that she can pursue her goal of becoming a community health worker. Consistent, meaningful employment and encouragement has given her the income, esteem and courage to make profound changes in her life.

Valerie’s story includes adverse experiences as a child growing up in a broken home, becoming a mom at an early age, and a felony conviction before her 21st birthday. It also includes the keen instincts of a survivor and the internal drive to never give up on herself and her family. Healthy Homes Block by Block works to give community members hope and opportunities to realize the dreams they have for themselves and their children.
Over the past three years:

• we have engaged with over 2000 homes in the 45204 and 45205 zip codes
• we have delivered over 100 Pack and Plays so that babies have a safe place to sleep
• we have distributed and, if needed, installed over 180 smoke detectors and/or baby gates
• we have provided over 1,200 hours of employment to moms from Price Hill starting at $15.00+ per hour over the past 6 months (a direct investment in hard work and our community)

We need your support to continue to invest in moms like Valerie. We ask that you give what you can to invest in our moms and our families in Price Hill.

Please help us to build and strengthen our network of moms on the block. Your gift goes directly to support this social venture. To learn more please visit our website:  www.healthyhomesbbb.org