A Place to Be Known
Through prayerful planning and the generosity of our donors, this November we are launching a Tamarisk Community House to serve young adults who are transitioning out of foster care. Our desire is that it would be more than a program, but a place where these young people can discover rest, refuge, friendship, and Hope. The statistics surrounding homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, and trafficking for this population are shockingly high, but we envision a city in which these individuals do not face any kind of injustice when they age out of the system. And we believe it starts with relationship.
A Place to Be Known
A central part of our vision for building community is sharing meals together around the table. Through weekly dinners, we hope to create space for relationship and connection to form. As we talk about our days and our lives, our desire is that each young person who comes through the Tamarisk House, would feel intentionally seen, known and sought after by us, our volunteers, and by their Creator. Trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk discusses the importance of feeling safe and seen in the healing of trauma in his book The Body Keeps the Score:
Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health… Numerous studies of disaster response around the globe have shown that social support is the most powerful protection against becoming overwhelmed by stress and trauma.
The critical issue is reciprocity: being truly heard and seen by the people around us, feeling that we are held in someone else's mind and heart. For our physiology to calm down, heal, and grow we need a visceral feeling of safety. No doctor can write a prescription for friendship and love…
Relational connection and felt safety is at the center of healing. What if we could create a safe space that felt like home, where these young people who have come from incredibly hard places could experience - maybe for the first time - what it feels like to be known, seen and sought after?
How You Can Help
As we prepare to open our doors, we need your support in three key areas:
Volunteers: We’re looking for people who want to give their time and gifts to this community.
Prayer Partners: We welcome those who feel led to support this mission in prayer.
Financial Support: To keep the Tamarisk House running, we need to raise $5,000 in monthly donations for essentials like rent, utilities, meals and resident experiences.
You’ve already been so generous, and we’re deeply grateful. As we step into this next chapter, would you consider increasing your support or sharing this campaign with others who might want to get involved? Every contribution helps us move closer to creating a home where these young people can find the stability and support they need.
