On the eve of a new year, the mayor of Eugene challenges her community to give the gift of housing to forty homeless families.
Seven years ago, Ginny Osteen took a look around and saw that her family had plenty of stuff. That prompted her to make a change. Instead of giving and receiving gifts over the holidays, she asked that money be donated to make a difference in the lives of struggling families.
Today, “A Home for the Holidays” project maintains an annual goal of raising $40-thousand dollars to help 40 families get into permanent housing. Mayor Kitty Piercy has adopted the concept and took the last day of the year to encourage others to donate.
Piercy: “This is a perfect time of year to make that kind of contribution that will go directly to families. Saint Vinney’s is going to cover the over-head. It’s just straight in to getting people into housing. Probably the shortest, fastest, and most successful way we can do it.”
Donations can be made to Saint Vincent de Paul. Eligible families receive $1,000 to help pay first and last month’s rent. Mayor Piercy says that funding can be the difference between stability and homelessness.
