FLIP: Driving it Home

How might we help children of CATCH families in making their house THEIR home?

In Fall 2018, the Families Living in Inspired Places (FLIP) team began their fourth round of working with families who had previously experienced homelessness in partnership with CATCH, a local rapid-rehousing organization. 

The team was eager to meet and work with a small family consisting of a single mother with a newborn girl and Sean, a four-year-old boy. 

Sean’s bedroom became the focus of the students’ renovation! After the team’s first visit they were able to identify a few key issues that they wanted to solve for Sean. Sean had a bed frame that was way too big for his bed and took up extra space in the bedroom that Sean could use as play space. The team also learned that Sean was afraid of the dark. He had a small night light in the room located on the far side of the oversized bed. Providing comfort from darkness was something the team knew they wanted to solve.  

FLIP students spent weeks connecting with Sean through empathy interviews and fun activities to get to know him better. After developing trust and using trauma-informed care, the team was able to learn more about Sean. He is a fun-loving young boy who loves animals, dinosaurs, watching his favorite cartoon Paw Patrol, and most of all Sean LOVES cars and trucks! 

While making a second visit to the home to take measurements and snap a few photos of the space, the team members were able to connect with Sean even more, this time while playing with his toy car collection. Sean was certainly more trusting of the group and able to open up and be himself.

On May 18, 2019, the team carried out their implementation and gave Sean a new bedroom that fit both Sean’s wishes and the needs the team identified. After implementation, Sean, the family and team all played in the front yard of his house and shared root beer floats to celebrate his new bedroom!

Outcomes:

Projects completed in Sean’s bedroom:

• Letters of Sean’s name custom laser-engraved with his favorite vehicles, hand painted, and installed on his wall

• New light fixture with a dimmer installed

• Installation of toy box for additional organization and storage

• Brand new smaller bed frame to better fit the size of the room

Student planning team reflections:

"I loved the opportunity to get to meet the family and play with the kids. I think it was so special to have the chance to see the impact we made on them directly, and face-to-face." –Jenevive Briggs, One Stone member

"The implementation day for the FLIP service project was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life, and I felt a deep sense of purpose by the end of it. We arrived in the morning as a group on implementation day and spent the day assembling furniture, cleaning the house and shed, and transforming the four-year-old son’s bedroom so that it felt more personal for him. We installed new lighting, bed frame, mattress, shelves, and bedsheets in his room. It was a beautiful moment when the family came home and shared their joy at seeing the plans we had discussed in the months prior come to life. The FLIP team continues to do this project every year, and it is incredible the impact they have on families in the Treasure Valley who may not have the resources to personalize their home.” –Indigo Blauch-Chappell, One Stone member

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FLIP: Welcome to Boise

How might we help children of New American families in making their house THEIR home?

When the FLIP (Families Living in Inspired Places) team first found out that they would be working with New Americans from the Democratic Republic of Congo, they were excited but apprehensive because of the massive language barrier – the family of New Americans they’d be working with spoke Swahili and French, but limited English. 

The next step for the student planning team was to figure out how they would communicate best with the family, and with help from a translator, the team took their first trip to the family’s home. The family greeted the students and welcomed them into the house where they would be allowed to snap pictures, take measurements, and learn more about the space they would be working with. As the meet and greet progressed, the students found out that this was a family of ten that included six boys and two girls all between the ages of 2 and 20 years old. The family used a detached garage space as the bedroom for four of the boys and as a sewing room for the parents. This living arrangement was tight, so the family asked if the FLIP team could focus on this room for their project.

Throughout the next few months, the team spent time reimagining the room layout, exploring types of furniture that would maximize space and organization, and iterating on how to best connect with the family. They spent time researching the Democratic Republic of Congo and its vast history and cultural customs. For example, the oldest child receives special privileges in this culture, so the team found bunk bed sets with a full-sized bed for the oldest boy. After deciding which furniture could be repurposed from the original room, the team purchased 3 sets of bunk beds, 4 dressers, 1 new mattress, and 4 new bedding sets. The students then focused on the room design with the help of a volunteer interpreter named Mary. Mary was able to ask the family which colors and features they preferred so the students could incorporate those preferences into the final design.

On the day of implementation, the team was excited to get to work. Mary had asked the family to remove as much furniture from the room as possible beforehand, so with that head start the team split into two groups. One group started deep cleaning the room and the other started assembling the bunk beds. Once the room was spick and span, the team and the boys began hauling and staging the new beds, mattresses, dressers. Some students helped the boys set up their spaces and put on new bedding, while others worked outside pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and doing other yard work around the garage. Once everything was set, the boys could finally start settling into their new home. The family was really excited for the change, and the team enjoyed seeing their hard work pay off.

Outcomes:

In all, the family received three new bunk beds, a new mattress, three new dressers, a clothing rack, Boise State University blankets, four sets of new bedding, and more. 

Reflections from the planning team:

• “This was my third time working with FLIP families, and it was the most rewarding experience yet!” – Sophie Moylan, One Stone member

• “I was moved by the impact that we had on the family. Even though there was a language barrier, I could see that the family was very happy and grateful for what we were able to do.” –Avery Hormaechea, One Stone member

• “It was a true test of empathy. I loved the process of finding out what would work for the family and then needing to figure out how to make that work on our end.” –Mason Kirk, One Stone member

Project FLIP: Kylie's Reflection

The following is from a speech given by One Stone member Kylie Casper during the One Event in 2019 about her experience helping a family that had recently experienced homelessness.

Finding Myself Through Service

By Kylie Casper

Imagine this. Two boys, ages 12 and 10, and a six-year-old girl. They are your typical kids: high energy, fun loving, and always ready for the next adventure. However, unlike typical kids, these three have felt the hardships that come with experiencing homelessness.

I came to know this family through a Project Good project: Families Living in Inspired Places (FLIP). I was on a team that partnered with CATCH, a local organization that helps families experiencing homelessness find housing and financial stability, and this family had just moved into their new apartment. Our team focused on helping make their new place feel more like a home for these three kids.

We kicked off the project by meeting the family, and invited them to One Stone. As the kids walked through the doors of One Stone, you could immediately see their eyes widen with excitement, not knowing where to look first. It was a kid’s dream building: colorful furniture, and chairs with wheels! The kids were eager to start playing, so we scrapped our meticulously planned schedule, and we followed their lead. It didn’t take long until we were racing around the building on rolling chairs, much to the dismay of the One Stone staff.

What we learned that night was this: Eric is an animal fanatic. His sister, Sophie, loves pink, purple, and all things sparkly. Nathan is passionate about reading and dragons.

The following week, we took what we learned and got to work on creating the kids’ dream rooms – rooms just for them. For Eric and Nathan we painted their dresser blue and red, their favorite colors. We gave Nathan a book light so he could read in bed and not disturb his brother. We decorated Sophie’s room with pink and purple bedding and a canopy over her bed so she could feel like a princess.

On reveal day I was nervous, but excited to surprise Eric, Nathan, and Sophie with their new rooms. I got to spend the whole day with them, while the rest of my FLIP team went to work transforming the rooms. We took the kids to Ann Morrison Park where we ran around and played their favorite game, cops and robbers, for HOURS.

As we left the park, Eric gave me a new name, Coyote. I love that name and it warms my heart that he felt so comfortable with me.

When we arrived for the reveal, the kids sprinted up the stairs to see their new rooms. The kids were more excited about their rooms than I could ever have imagined. When Sophie saw her room, she jumped and screamed with joy. I’ve never seen anyone so happy. Then it hit me. I realized just how much this new room meant to her. And just how much this project meant to me. This small act of kindness changed their lives, and mine.

The experience with Eric, Sophie, and Nathan opened my eyes to my true self and fostered a passion within me – helping people.

I know this might sound totally cliche, but it’s true. By spending time with these kids I learned how to be empathetic, to take others’ needs into consideration, and to separate all of my outside stressors to focus on the things that REALLY mattered.

Before this experience I thought I knew what mattered: Looking great on paper for colleges. Achieving perfection. Being number one. I believed that accomplishing these things would set me up for the ideal life, but I was beginning to become a person I didn’t want to be.

Now I strive to help people, not just those who seem to need it, but everyone. I want to encourage and support anybody and everybody to be the best version of themselves.

When I joined Project Good’s FLIP team, I thought I would be helping others. Little did I know how much others would be helping ME.

Thank you Sophie, Eric, and Nathan for changing my life, for good.

Families Living in Inspired Places (FLIP): A Room Fit for a Princess

How might we help children of CATCH families in making their house THEIR home?

The FLIP (Families Living in Inspired Places) team began their journey by working with CATCH, a local rapid rehousing non-profit for families experiencing homelessness. Through interviews with counselors and CATCH alumni, as well as a tour of the CATCH office and warehouse, the team began looking into the time right after families are housed. On their tour through the CATCH warehouse, one of the student team members noticed the lack of decor available to new families and specifically the lack of children’s room decor and materials. The team wondered: what makes a house a home? What is it that makes a kids room a kids room? How can we help kids feel safe, welcome, and able to express themselves in their own space?

CATCH connected the team to a recently-housed family with a young girl named Mya. After learning more about Mya’s personality and experiences before CATCH, the team began brainstorming ways to bring inspiration into her new bedroom. A princess at heart, Mya dreamed of a room filled with color, art, and “stuffies” to snuggle at night. The team also learned that Mya was scared of shadows and needed to be able to put her toys, clothes, and decor in her closet before bed. The team set to work scouring local thrift shops for gently-used furniture that they could revamp in One Stone’s Foundry. Students sanded down items including a dresser and shelf, gave them fresh coats of paint, and decorated the pieces with stencils and original art. The students adapted a rolling cart for Mya to store her toys and shoes that she could easily roll into the closet at night and created a personalized sign for Mya’s door with the letters of her name. After Mya saw the final result, she could not contain her excitement to have her own special space. Her big smile brought some of the planning team members to tears. At the end of the afternoon, the planning team shared a spaghetti meal (her favorite food!) that they cooked with Mya and her family.

Outcomes:

• 25+ hours spent renovating furniture in the Foundry

• Three new pieces of furniture, new bedding, and original art

Responses:

“[It’s] wonderful to see high school aged individuals with such drive and sense of community.” –Jeremy Blades, Director of Housing Services for CATCH

“This has been my most meaningful One Stone project, ever.” –One Stone team member

“I can’t say thank you enough.” –FLIP parent recipient

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