A man with a caring heart and a desire to help those in his neighborhood…was the beginning of Exodus Housing, a transitional housing agency serving homeless families in Pierce and South King Counties since 1994.

Families experience homelessness due to lack of income, lack of affordable housing, domestic violence, lack of skills or education and lack of employment opportunities that provide a livable wage. These are the areas the Exodus Housing programs focus on, assisting homeless families as they transition to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. Exodus Housing offers more than a place to live. With our connection to support services, the talents of our volunteers and the support of the community, we have helped 67 families towards a stable home life in the past 9 years.

Funding:
Our funding base consists of grants from trusts & foundations, communities of faith, local United Way’s and individuals. With the combined help from the different areas of the community we are able to currently help 15 families with a new beginning to their life. Along with monetary donations, we accept donations of useable household items and essential needs for our families as they make a new home for themselves and their children. It is through the gifts of the members of our communities that we are able to help families and strengthen communities.

Programs:
We’ve all heard the news about families dealing with domestic violence and their struggle with homelessness while they strive to become self-sufficient. In September of 2002 we began our “Safe Choices” program designed to help families who are homeless because of domestic violence. In addition to traditional case management and mentorship services, families receive domestic violence recovery services including:
? Safety planning and legal advocacy in coordination with the YWCA of Tacoma
? Employment Services and training provided by Washington Women’s Education and Employment
? Coordination of community-based referrals of mental health, support groups or any other necessary services

Clients can stay in our programs for up to 20 months as they work towards their individual goals. Respect for the dignity of the individual is critical as we minister to life's most basic needs: shelter and support. Our program design is based on nurturing the gifts that each client family brings with them. That same philosophy extends to our work with communities as we recruit and train volunteers, tapping in to the rich array of personal talents and utilizing the power of confidence and compassion to strengthen the work we do.

Successes:
Exodus Housing is proud of the success of the graduates from our programs and the progress our current clients are making. It is rewarding to hear of a new job, the great grades the kids are making in school and the confidence in the voice of someone who knows that, thanks to the caring people in their community, they are on their way to a happy, healthy life! We are always willing to share the successes of our clients both past and present. Please contact us to arrange a speaker for your group.

Are you wondering how you can make a difference?
Exodus Housing is always looking for individuals or groups to volunteer.

Volunteer opportunities include:
? Family Support Teams – working one-on-one with other volunteers mentoring clients
? Work with internal committees planning events and outreach opportunities
? “On-call” volunteer opportunities including assisting with client moves, childcare while moving, donation and pick up coordination, and general assistance with tasks as needed
? Tutoring children and/or adults
? Donations of useable household items and essential needs

For more information contact us at:
Exodus Housing
PO Box 1006
Sumner, WA 98390
253-862-6808
www.exodushousing.org

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