To close out February, the month we associate with Valentine love, it seems fitting to share some of the longings expressed from the hearts of the people we serve and work alongside.

Angie and her housing coach, Lori, caught up on all the progress she has made since coming to Love Columbia. Angie and her husband now have permanent housing and jobs that both support them and provide meaningful avenues for them to serve the community. Angie said, “We would not be where we are without Lori and Love Columbia. They walked us every step of the way including helping us get identification documents, finding housing, helping me get my driver’s license and cheerleading us all along the way.”

So Many Longing for Home

In 2024, two thirds of the requests we received were related to finding or keeping housing. In our Path Forward program, 84% of the participants told us their lives had improved, and they had met at least one goal. The most frequent goals set were to gain financial literacy or gain housing.

• 620 Better understand income and expenses 
• 539 Find a home
• 514 Improve credit
• 390 Apply for income-based housing

Felicia shares about her longing to own a home with Jane Williams, Love Columbia Executive Director. Felicia said, “I have new confidence I can achieve the American dream of homeownership with the Love Columbia team behind me. I’ve lived in Columbia all my life and never knew what amazing information and support was available to me.”

Jane often shares her concern that only 3% of Boone County homeowners are African American and has longed to see this percentage increase. 

RentWell Graduates Long for Stability

Individuals who completed our tenant training course reported how they wanted to use the education to improve their lives:

• "Maybe I won’t make as many mistakes as my parents."
• "I would like to stay determined and positive about watching my expenses, saving and putting rent first."
• "I hope to/will change the way I spend. I will be intentional about saving, cutting back and being accountable."
• "I hope to use all the knowledge I’ve gained to budget and become a better tenant."
• "I hope to build finances to find better housing and to treat my prospective landlords like a job."
• "I hope to become a better tenant and more efficient renter."
• "I hope to become more financially responsible, stable, and less frivolous with my pocketbook."
• "I will use better communication and treat my next place as if I own it."

Longing to Help

If you ask our staff and volunteers, they will tell you they long to help everyone who comes to us in need. Here are some recent ways they have helped:



• An attendee of our last home buyer class has followed up with almost daily emails expressing his fervent desire to move his family of five from their cramped, third floor apartment to a house with a yard for his kids to play. His frequent, desperate pleas have turned into progress reports as he readily accepts advice and is moving quickly toward achieving his goal.
• A mother of three longs for permanent housing but does not make enough money at her current job to make this a reality. We helped her enroll in an emergency telecommunications course so she can apply for a 911 operator position that pays a higher salary. We are expectantly accompanying her on her journey forward.
• A single mother working with one of our financial coaches received a Love Columbia no interest loan to retire her high interest payday loan. This allowed her to pay her rent on time and avoid late fees. She plans to retire her only credit card within two months and will then have an extra $100 each month in her budget.

When We Can’t Meet Every Need

Our amazing staff diligently review a high volume of requests. They problem-solve and continually develop new strategies and resources. The difficult days are when the staff run into a wall caused by the housing shortage or unaffordable costs of living. Here is one example:

A 90-year-old widow recently told us her heart longing is to live the rest of her days in the rental home where she has resided for 25 years. She is close to her church and to a neighbor with intellectual disabilities for whom she provides a safe haven when the caregiver needs respite. Her rent, $650 when she moved in, is now $1,150 and will go up to $1,350 in July. Already one of the 27% of Boone Countians who pay over half their income in rent, she is not sure she will be able to stay in her home much longer. We pour over her tightly stretched budget and can only suggest a bit of relief through utility assistance and food pantries. She may have to consider the income-based housing waiting list her daughter has placed her on.

When we can’t meet a need, we listen, empathize, and grieve with the person for whom we have no immediate answers. We turn to one another, brainstorm some more, form coalitions and rally the courage to press forward. One thing seems certain: hard times strengthen our hope muscles. We are enduring more difficulty and believing for more progress all at the same time!

Volunteer: Pioneer A New Effort or Join A Current Team

Mark Evans, local attorney and volunteer, and Sherry Wyss, Love Columbia staff, meet to plan a new monthly class and materials for protecting your assets and beginning estate planning.

Jane Williams and Mary Clark prepare to give a presentation on Shared Living at the April Affordable Housing Coalition meeting. Spare Bedrooms: One option to address the housing shortage.

Who knew tax preparation could be so much fun? Even the IRS is enthusiastic about our volunteer team, “Your site is amazing! Please thank your volunteers for all they do for our community! We sincerely appreciate you too and all you do for Love Columbia!”

Loved. Gifted. Valued.

For Valentine’s Day we distributed handheld mirrors, with the handwritten words, “Loved. Gifted. Valued.” The longing of our hearts, is that everyone who comes to Love Columbia, would experience belonging, empowerment and affirmation of their value.