I work for a housing and homeless services agency called New Moms – the one you see in the photo. We provide housing for and partner with young moms under 24 as they pursue their goals for economic mobility and family well-being. The broader housing services field does critically important, meaningful work but often assumes our job is complete when someone secures stable housing. I applied to MAPP because I wanted to learn how to help expand the mission of the homeless services field, from housing stability to flourishing. Our unhoused neighbors deserve not only stable housing, but a home in which they can thrive.
The “Gratitude Galaxy” in this photo represents this shift at New Moms, from a mission of housing stability towards flourishing. It is made up of individual notes of appreciation our staff wrote for one another during a recent “Take Care Tuesday” quarterly staff event. The sun illuminated the hope-filled halls of our building housing 40 young families and cast a shadow of the Gratitude Galaxy, creating a second galactic image on the floor. A colleague pointed out the shadow to me as we passed each other in the hallway. We stared at the Gratitude Galaxy and its shadow and reflected on how gratitude can amplify impact, how looking at something in a different way can enhance its beauty and meaning.
Among many other gifts, MAPP taught me how to help New Moms shift in this positive direction and become a model for other housing and human service agencies. New Moms’ Gratitude Galaxy and its shadow visually represent how high-quality connections and gratitude can create the bedrock for organizational and societal flourishing, demonstrating that all families – whatever their housing status – deserve to thrive.
