bridging the gap between college & homeless communities.
providing a consistent space to meet and share stories, experiences, and interests
Homeless people have stories. They are incredible, winding, and unforeseen experiences of hardships unknown to a majority of the nation. Their voices have abundant wisdom to offer in lives of individuals navigating independent worlds and striving to understand unfolding passions. There are over 300 homeless people alone in Fort Collins. Restore Community is a way to network with the large homeless community and introduce friendships.
Partnering with Restore Community, Everyday Joe's provides a consistent, safe location to meet with a homeless friend. People in the homeless community are directed to this coffeehouse to create a profile on the website. College students can access their profiles on the website and send an invite to a homeless client. The client will be notified by Everyday Joe's.
Kindness matters. Relationships matter. Meeting for conversation over the comfort of coffee has more value than any material donation. However, in addition to friendships, students are encouraged to help provide for the needs of their friends. Items to provide can be found on the client page. Here's how it all works: 1.) FIND A FRIEND. Browse the profiles on the "client" page to see who would be your best fit. What are your interests/experiences? What do you want to learn more about? What language(s) do you speak? Most likely, you will find a match within the community. 2.) CONTACT YOUR FRIEND. Fill out the contact page when you find a good fit for you, filling in some information about yourself and your schedule. We will contact your friend as soon as we can and they will view your contact sheet, choosing a meeting time. Meet your friend at Everyday Joe's! 3.) MEET WEEKLY, PROVIDE NEEDS, SHARE STORIES. Build a consistent relationship of meeting for coffee and hearing about your friend's life, as well as telling them about yours. Your friend will let you know their most urgent material needs, and you can choose to bring an item for your friend when you are able. When you feel inspired, record parts of their story they give you permission to share on the "stories" page, the platform for our city to hear about incredible lives within the homeless community. |