Volunteers find niche helping families leaving abuse, homelessness
A task force made up of volunteers from Williamson County, Tennessee, has discovered their niche helping families coming out of homelessness and abusive relationships.
The Williamson Social Justice Alliance launched their vulnerable families task force in November, and since then have helped 40 Nashville families furnish their homes. The alliance is a grassroots organization that tackles social justice issues by amplifying the work of other organizations helping those in need and filling in the gaps they find.
Many of the women the task force helps face homelessness after leaving an abusive relationship, and finding stable living is just the first step. After securing a new home, they often walk into a unit that's empty without food in the fridge or clothes in the closet. That's where the task force steps in.
Cindy Konyn joined the alliance as a volunteer earlier this year. She had an old farm truck that was perfect for hauling furniture, and she worked as the muscle helping deliver donated furniture to new homes. The group often works closely with Mona Ivey-Soto helping families. Ivey-Soto has already defined relationships with the women and gets them in touch with the alliance, Konyn said.
It was Ivey-Soto who helped Lexus Ikeard get in touch with the group. Ikeard had been staying at a shelter for weeks with her four children, including her baby son, who was just 2 weeks old at the time.
When she finally got the call about an available public housing unit, she was relieved, but then stressed about transforming the apartment into a home with slim finances. The task force helped supply her with furniture, food and clothes for herself and her kids.
“If I needed someone to talk to, I could vent to them and talk to them," she said.
Her gas stove recently caught fire and cast a layer of smoke on all of their belongings. Everything was ruined. Again, she and her family were facing an empty home. Volunteers with the alliance helped Ikeard clean her residence and supplied her with another round of furniture and clothes.
“What if they weren't here? What would I do? I would still be here with nothing," Ikeard said. “Don’t be scared to ask people for help. There’s still good people out there. It’s just hard to find if you don’t reach your hand out and ask for help.”
Task force needs more volunteers
The task force is still small and needs more volunteers. They can only help one or two families at a time, and some families need continued help, Konyn said.
Although the alliance is a Williamson County organization, the volunteers found the need wasn't as much there as it is in Nashville. Their primary focus is helping Nashville moms, but as their volunteer roster grows, they hope to fill unmet needs in Williamson County, too.
“Our struggle was finding the hole in Williamson County. Is there a hole? We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. We found the hole in Davidson," Konyn said.
The group receives plenty of furniture and clothes donations, but Konyn said they're in need of physical help with furniture delivery and pickup. They could also use volunteers with legal backgrounds or who understand government services to better help people navigate confusing systems.
“I don’t know if I could ever not be helping," she said. “It’s hard not to answer those requests. We’ll never do that. ... We don’t feel like there’s boundaries with what help we’re going to give.”
If you need help from the alliance or would like to volunteer, a form is on the organization's website at wsjatn.org/vulnerable-families.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Volunteers help families leave abuse, homelessness
