Transitional Housing

The Beginning of an Idea

In 2006 we were given a mobile home, a 5th wheel, and two motor homes.

These are a better option than a tent on a cold night, so with the help of some of our networking partners we successfully turned these vehicles into transitional housing for homeless families.

We decided that we would retain the title while allowing people who are unable to afford rent to use the vehicle rent free.
They are required to pay the mobile home park rent and their utility bills as an accountability measure.
This gives them the opportunity to exercise responsibility.

Finding the Family

The following story is an example of how one of our homes was used to pull a family out of homelessness.

Laura and Mark had an unexpected dilemma on their hands. Having moved from Yakima to Lacey, this mother and her 13-year old son needed housing. Concerned for their safety over escalating family violence, Laura had

decided that relocation was necessary, so she and Mark fled eastern Washington bringing only the possessions they could pack into their car.

When a promised job in Lacey fell through, Laura and Mark ended up homeless. She eventually got a job, but living in her car and couch surfing for nearly three months had used up her meager resources. Affording rent was not an option.

The Way It Should Be

A mutual friend told City Gates Ministries about Laura, and soon afterwards Phil Prietto met with Laura to interview her. Ultimately, they forged an agreement. It was a happy day in August, 2006, when she signed the park lease and she and Mark moved into a home made comfortable with a cupboard full of food and a house full of furniture. Laura is now volunteering in Thurston County and Mark is enrolled in his local school and making new friends.

This story points up the great need in the South Sound for affordable housing for low income families embroiled in hardship situations, often through no fault of their own. City Gates Ministries will consider donations of any mobile homes, travel trailers, or 5th wheels already in mobile home parks in the Olympia area for this purpose.

City Gates Ministries