RECLAIMING HOPE | Hope is the starting point for Urban Homeworks, the force that brings together low-income families, young professionals, job skill trainees, and volunteers from all walks of life into an exchange that restores homes and creates a space for neighbors to engage.
From Renter to Owner
Shauntina describes herself as compassionate. She enjoys learning new things and growing as a person. She says that her son, Treshawn (Tre), changed her world when he was born four years ago. She enjoys the responsibility and challenge of creating and molding this little person and wants to be the best mom she can be. 
Growing up in north Minneapolis, Shauntina’s family rented until she was 18 years old and they bought their own home. As an adult, she recognizes the stability that she had in not moving around a lot and wants the same thing for Tre. After renting on her own for 12 years, she came to the point of wanting something for her & her son to call their own. She wanted to provide something for Tre to have when he’s grown.
As a first-time homeowner, Shauntina is excited about her house on the northside of Minneapolis. “I feel at home in north [Minneapolis] and wouldn’t want to own a home anywhere else” she says. After living in her new home for 5 months, Shauntina loves the sense of community in her neighborhood. She likes taking Tre out to ride his bike and meeting her very welcoming neighbors. Read more of Shauntina's story and see before & after photos of her new home.
See our other finished homes & read homeowner stories here (scroll down to the bottom of that page for links).
Building More than Houses
By Andrea Lee, Volunteer
Through the YouthBuild construction training program, Chris Switzer, 21, is learning how to build warm houses as he works toward his high school diploma. Chris grew up in Minneapolis and was in and out of high school since the age of 15. After passing YouthBuild’s hiring process two years in a row, including their phase of mental toughness tests, Chris has learned “construction work, framing, and how to use power tools.”
Even more importantly, Chris points out that he is learning how to work well with others, train others, and “lead instead of follow for once. The most satisfying things about being part of YouthBuild have been getting to know the staff and talking to Tree Trust’s CEO once in a while.”
After graduating from YouthBuild, Chris plans to go to college for culinary arts and get a carpentry job so he can pay for his tuition. The future is bright for Chris Switzer. “My skills in communicating with others have gotten way better; I used to be really shy, but now I’m more self-assured. I think anybody who likes working hard and getting to know people should try YouthBuild or volunteer for Urban Homeworks, because they do a lot of good for the community and for people who normally couldn’t afford a home.”
The Effect of Empathy
When Erik Beitzel decided to become an Urban Neighbor 4 years ago, he had recently left the fast-track to upper management at his corporate job and was asking some big questions. One of them was “How do I respond to injustice and suffering as a person of faith?” Six months into his Urban Neighbor experience, three of the Urban Neighbors decided to do a “street weekend” to gain compassion for the homeless & marginalized in our communities. Click the image below to hear about it and how he’s been forever changed by the experience, as told at the Perpetuate the Hope event in October.
“Anyone who holds onto life, just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.” ~Jesus (John 12:25)
How does Erik's story challenge you to cultivate empathy and compassion in your own life?
A Home for Annette
This past August, a family referred to Urban Homeworks through the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) was ready to move in to one of UHW’s newly rehabbed duplexes. Along with the usual hassles and joys that accompany moving day, Annette was preparing for the birth of her sixth child. Her due date was just two days before the move-in date! She was concerned about the possibility of being in the hospital and trying to get settled into her new home.
When moving day arrived, Annette had not yet delivered the baby. But because of her connection with the NAZ, staff members there took time out of their work day to help Annette move her and her children’s belongings out of storage and into their new home. Annette was so excited to be in her new house that she stayed up until four in the morning unpacking and making sure every piece of furniture and household item was in its place.
Three days later, Annette delivered her child, a healthy baby boy. With wrap-around support provided by the partnership with the NAZ, Annette was able to bring her new baby to a fully furnished, newly rehabbed home. Hers is a northside family striving to be part of a culture of achievement!
UHW is partnering with the NAZ to provide opportunities for stable, long-term housing. At her lease signing, in response to the possibility of her moving in ten years, Annette exclaimed excitedly, “I will be living in this house forever!” For more information on this effort, visit the-naz.org.
—Anna Carlson Schattauer, NAZ Housing Liaison
