Open House on September 20th!
Dear Friends,
It’s an honor to introduce myself to you as the new Executive Director of H.O.M.E. I am eager to meet you as a devoted supporter, and I am thrilled to invite you to our Open House on Thursday, September 20th from 4:00-7:00 pm at Nathalie Salmon House, 7320 North Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626.
I’ve known and loved H.O.M.E. from afar for over two decades as a fair housing advocate in the Chicago area. In fact, back in 2004 I wrote an article for the national magazine Shelterforce in which I point to H.O.M.E.’s Intergenerational Housing as an exceptional program in an affordable housing landscape that is too often affordable in name only.
Having admired H.O.M.E.’s mission and programs over the years, I’m humbled and excited to lead this important organization into its next chapter. Foundational to H.O.M.E.’s housing and support services is its culture of community. Michel and Lilo Salmon, H.O.M.E.’s founders, recognized that seniors are especially vulnerable to isolation and created this organization over 35 years ago to give seniors a platform for sharing their homes, gifts and lives with young people. Given today’s social climate of division and automation, H.O.M.E.’s vision and practice of fostering community could not be more timely.
You may know that we here at H.O.M.E. have some big plans. Together with you, I’m excited to make progress toward these goals:
Expand the recognition of H.O.M.E.: Building on H.O.M.E.’s reputation as an organization committed to providing unique housing services to low-income seniors, we will be a thought leader in intergenerational housing and housing support services.
Identify an opportunity to bring our unique housing model to the South or West sides of the City of Chicago: Recognizing the need for affordable senior housing throughout Chicago, I’ll work with leaders on our Housing Task Force to identify opportunities to expand our housing program.
Provide value-centered leadership: Even in the short time that I’ve known H.O.M.E.’s staff and board, I’ve seen that there is something special about its culture—it’s a warm place that is truly mission-centered. I’ll work with you to continue to lead with our values of teamwork and compassion.
Build sustainable philanthropic support: We can’t do any of our work without you. Supporters like you who are committed to helping low-income seniors maintain their independence are integral to moving our mission forward. We’ll work to expand our network of support and build deeper relationships with our loyal donors.
Why is H.O.M.E. important to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. But especially, I hope you’ll continue to join H.O.M.E. as we make strides toward fulfilling our mission of helping low-income seniors live lives of joy, connection, and independence in the communities they love.
Will you drop in to our Open House on Thursday, September 20th from 4:00-7:00 pm at Nathalie Salmon House? Please let us know if you’ll be able to attend by contacting Amber at AmberM@homeseniors.org or 773-295-2708.
I join the Board, Staff, our residents, and the seniors we have served throughout the city in looking forward to coming together with you. Thank you again so much for your confidence, generosity, and partnership, which makes all this – and more – possible.
Warm wishes,
Gail Schechter
P.S. I do hope you’ll attend our Open House on Thursday, September 20th!