GAITHERSBURG, Md (WUSA) --- Another family's dream of independent living comes true with the help of The Dwelling Place. Volunteers from Cedar Brook Community Church in Clarksburg, Maryland are putting the apartment into tip top shape. One volunteer helps out "Because we've been given so much and we want to pass on the blessing to somebody else." Another admits that while work is tiring, it is so rewarding he is glad to help.
Executive Director, Miriam Gandell, says "With families, the needs are so much more complex and families are living right on the edge of poverty or being evicted and it's a continuing problem that is not going away. They need a lot. They need more than just a place to live."
The program provides a fully furnished apartment including wall portraits, lamps, and other items that make a house a home. Lamisha Waters, who was formerly homeless, explains, "I had a house blessing. I had everything I needed. Dishes, furniture, blankets, everything." The generosity continues as when the family moves out, they are able to take everything with them.
Gratitude is the word of the day, expressed by many of the families and the volunteers. It is much more than transitional housing and life skills programs. It's a true community in the sense of one hand reaching out to help another.