It's Truly a Moving Experience

Jan 11

Written By

Last April H.O.M.E. restarted our Moving Program with funding provided by The Retirement Research Foundation and The Field Foundation. Their funds have allowed us to provide help for seniors moving in Chicago at a rate of about one move per week.

A truly moving experience

A few days ago, our Moving Coordinator, Judy, shared this email from a woman we provided relocation services to recently:

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thanks to you, HOME Org., and Big O Mover. Without your help this move would have been impossible. You literally saved my life! I would not have been able to survive under those conditions much longer with the many health problems I have.

I am now able to have basic necessities like heat and hot water to bathe. I don't have to inhale mold and mildew anymore or worry about the ceiling falling in on my head. I did something in my new apartment that I have not done in a while, I wash my hair.

With that said, you and the HOME Org is truly a God sent and blessing. You help make my burden light and I sincerely thank you. May God return the blessings to you many times over.

From Diana"

Moving is one of life’s most stressful situations, especially for low-income seniors like Diana who have struggled to take the big step of changing their lives. Through our Moving Program we work hard to reduce the stress of moving for the elderly, and help seniors get settled in their new home as easily as possible.

Judy is the smooth operator, making moves go smoothly

Judy is a very big part of making moves go smoothly. She visited Diana when she first called about moving assistance to determine if we could be of help. We could.

Judy scheduled the move with one of the two professional moving companies (Big O Movers and Two Men and A Truck) who work with us and she supplied moving boxes to help Diana to pack her belongings. On the day of the move it was Judy who was there with Diana to make sure things went as planned and who gave her a ride to her new home.

Our moving clients often expect to ride in the moving truck to their new apartment. However, moving companies don’t allow customers to ride with them, so Judy normally drives the senior to the apartment. She says, “They love the fact they can ride with me in my car to their new place!”

Because Judy offers hands on support and arranges the many pieces of the moving process for our clients, we like to describe the Moving Program as a concierge moving service.

Making a difference one move at a time

As Diana and many of the other seniors we’ve served would tell you, moving assistance for seniors makes a huge difference. For our clients, moving to a new home is often essential to improving their health and safety, but it’s not always easy to accomplish without help.

Nearly 70 percent of the seniors we move have incomes of $900 a month or less. Our sliding scale fee helps make moves affordable for those living in poverty who can’t afford to pay the full cost of moving. To find out more about the Moving Program, click here.

H.O.M.E. is the only organization in the City of Chicago that helps low-income seniors move. During the six years the program was suspended we received phone calls every single week asking if we could help with a move. We are truly grateful for our funders who have allowed us to start the program again. What we do is in many ways a truly moving experience. As Judy says, “Everyone is so happy we can help them!”

Last March we presented at the American Society on Aging's Aging in America Conference about our innovative approach of collaborating with for profit moving companies to implement this essential program for seniors. To download the presentation on nonprofit/forprofit collaboration, click the button below.

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Moving Program