As the leaves fall and the temperatures drop we are starkly reminded of the approaching winter season and all the change it brings. From Thanksgiving through Hannakuh and Christmas, the holiday season can be a joyous time for people young and old. However, for far too many families in our community, the upcoming season brings stress and uncertainty. Lydia Place is truly grateful for our community partners and supporters who work with us to bring warmth, hope, and joy to those we serve.
Join us in disrupting the cycle of homelessness. Give today!
ADOPT A FAMILY TODAY!
By adopting one (or more!) of our families, you are supplying presents, but more importantly, providing an opportunity for parents to focus on creating fun holiday memories with their children.  In partnership with KAFE Radio, this program brings gifts (and smiles!) to over 100 Lydia Place families with children. For many of our families, this is their first holiday season in their own home. Thank you for joining us and making this a fun, happy, and safe season!

Tune in to Kafe Radio to hear from some of our families and what their kiddos wished for this holiday season!
Humor For Housing Was A Smashing Success!
Wow, what a turn out full of fun, laughs and great bites all for a great cause! We cannot thank our sponsors and community enough for the support we have received. A BIG thank you to The Psyden Team at Caliber Home Loans for being our 2018 Humor For Housing title sponsor!!


Haggens & Hempler's Help Families Receive Thanksgiving Meals
In partnership with Haggens, Hempler's, and the Kiwanis Young Professionals, Lydia Place was able to to provide Thanksgiving meals to 175 of our families. These Thanksgiving baskets are able to provide our clients with not only the ingredients for a meal but the quality family time together we all hope for this time of year.
Welcome Tally Rabatin
Our Community Engagement Director!
Why Lydia Place?
For most of us, we can’t even comprehend what it means to be homeless. What it really looks like to put your children to sleep in a car every night or what mental and physical tolls sleeping out in the elements night after night does to a person. The work that Lydia Place does in our community to support individuals and families dealing with homelessness inspires me. Lydia Place understands that housing is just the first step, and to really disrupt the cycle and promote sustained independence for current and future generations, supportive services and case management are essential.
 
How long have you been involved?
I have been a supporter of Lydia Place since relocating to Bellingham in 2006. I served two terms as a board member from 2007-2014, taking off the last few years to raise our two girls. I am thrilled to now join the team, and continue the organization’s efforts to eliminate family homeless and provide our neighbors the opportunities and support they need to thrive.
 
What is your favorite thing to do in Bellingham?
My favorite thing to do in Bellingham is to be out on a trail somewhere with my husband, TJ, our daughters, Pepper (4) and Wylder (1), and our dogs, Rebel and Cosmo.

Join Us for Our Housing Hero Awards
We invite you to join us for an evening in celebration of a year of hope, housing, and bright futures for hundreds of local families and their children in our community. During the evening we will honor the incredible individuals, companies, and collectives who went above and beyond to ensure that homeless parents, children, and individuals in Whatcom County received the care, support, and housing they needed to take the next steps towards independence and achieve their goals for themselves and their families. Delicious appetizers, holiday spirits, and more await at this annual event honoring our Housing Heroes!
John Craigie At the Firefly Lounge!
Looking for something to do this weekend?
Check out John Craigie at The Firefly Lounge this Saturday December 1st for #Keepitwarm2018 !

Proceeds from this show will benefit Lydia Place! We hope to see you there

30 Years Of The Power Of Love
Come and join Lydia Place at Our 30th Anniversary Hearts for Housing Gala in support of children and families experiencing homelessness. Get your tickets today and get ready to rock out through the decades, and celebrate 30 years of housing, hope, and the POWER OF COMMUNITY LOVE!
Welcome Our New Wise Buys Volunteer & Operations Coordinator, Dakota!

How long have you lived in Bellingham?
I have called Bellingham home for the past three years, but I was raised in the Pacific Northwest and grew up with frequent day trips to this town I now consider my community.

What is my favorite thing about Wise Buys?
My favorite thing about Wise Buys is the platform of sustainability it runs on. Not only do we recycle used goods by re-entering them back into our community, but we do so in an affordable way. At Wise Buys we run job training and vocational programs that provide valuable resources to those seeking to further their skillset. In short, I love Wise Buys because we are part of a larger community that strives to make Bellingham and Whatcom County a better home for us all.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by many things! Coming together with diverse individuals all with different backgrounds and mindsets is exactly where I want to be. People motivate me to be a part of building a better future, and the fact that I get to work with volunteers donating their time every day is quite inspiring. 

Downtown Wine Walk Was A Blast
The second annual holiday Wine Walk through downtown Bellingham featuring local wineries from across the region was a night to remember. Thank you Ellensberg Canyon Winery, Burly Bars, and D.J Tru-ah for making Wise Buys Community Thrift a favorite hot spot again this year! And THANK YOU to our amazing volunteer staff who are the heart and soul of our store!
IMPACT STORY
Get inspired with this impact story courtesy of Parent Educator Hannah Vandermay
Doing it right this time
5 years ago Stacy was living in a shelter, working hard to meet all of the requirements set forth by CPS to allow her to have her young son returned to her. She had become CPS involved when she was evicted from a subsidized housing program and was homeless, struggling with an alcohol addiction and trying to get away from an abusive partner. She went to treatment, became sober, committing deeply to her treatment goals. She also worked hard to set boundaries with her ex-partner, whose abuse had been the primary cause of her losing her housing. CPS recognized her efforts and quickly returned her son to her care and eventually closed her CPS case. Despite finally being reunited with her son and feeling safe for the first time in a long while, Stacy was facing a housing debt of over $3,000, had poor credit, and very little income. She felt stuck in the shelter and could not see how to move forward. 

When a space came available in the Lydia Place Family Services Program, Stacy jumped at the chance for a fresh start. She began working as many hours as was possible, working at a local retailer and cleaning for a motel. She met with her case manager weekly, continued to follow through with her treatment goals and was regularly looking for opportunities to increase her income. She met with the owner of the unit available and had an opportunity to tell her story and share the progress she had made. She advocated for herself sharing about her past, her current goals and the hopes she had for her child’s future. After talking with her, the landlord made the decision to override her poor credit and property debt and allowed her to rent from him with the support from Lydia Place. Stacy met with her case manager weekly in the beginning, pouring over her budget, asking for support in communicating with her neighbors, her landlord and doing everything she could to “ do it right this time. ” 

Stacy voluntarily enrolled in Lydia Place’s Parents as Teachers program, committing to work with a home visitor twice per month to support the needs of her son and build her practice and knowledge around his growth and development. 

While Stacy received a subsidy for her rent for the first six months of her lease, she quickly became independent of the financial support from Lydia Place, but chose to continue with case management. She regularly meets with her case manager, asking for assistance with her budget, home organization, parenting support and referrals to other community providers as needed. Stacy shared with her case manager at one visit that she knew she needed to do right by the housing program she had been evicted from and that it was important to her that she repair her credit. She began a payment plan with the rental property and in time had paid off her rental debt completely to the previous landlord, while continuing to pay her rent on time at her current unit.

Stacy has a full - time job working for a reliable employer and after years of working evenings and weekends, is able to work Monday through Friday and can spend quality time with her son, who has special needs and requires a significant level of care. She is in her second year of the Parents as Teacher’s program and has collaborated with her home visitor to help her son transition smoothly into kindergarten and build healthy communication with his teaching and support team at school. Stacy also recently passed her driving test and is looking forward to getting a car in the new year.
Thank you for sharing your story Stacy and congratulations on all your hard-work and perseverance!
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY
Our Community At Work For Lydia Place
The Spice Hut's Holiday Book Drive
The Spice Hut is doing a children's book drive through the end of December for our Parent Support Program which strives to give ONE BOOK TO EVERY CHILD, EVERY VIST . So far in 2018, we have been able to give out over 700 books to the families we serve and you can help us do so much more! So feel free to drop by to donate a book and don’t forget to grab a cup of Crème De La Earl with the proceeds of this best-selling tea benefitting Lydia Place’s programs and services.
Carter's Pajama Program Gives to Lydia Place
It's that time of year again! Our local Carter's has generously chosen Lydia Place for their Pajama Program this year so swing in to pick out a pair of cozy pajamas to donate to one of the children in our families this holiday season.
Thank You For Your Support!
Ashley Home Store
Thank you to the NEW Ashley Homestore crew for rolling up their sleeves and helping us get some much needed yard work done at one of our properties! Check out their new location at Bellis Fair Mall!
Schweinhaus & Deschutes Brewery
Thank you for donating the proceeds of Deschutes brews during your Thanksgiving
event!
Peoples Bank
Thank you People's Bank and their community of donators who were able to collect so many fun and cozy socks for our families in need!
Thank you to those who recently made financial contributions to the programs and services of Lydia Place!
The 2018 Trails To Taps relay resulted in a $7,500 donation to  Lydia Place ! Whatcom Events also donated another $7,000 to local Food Banks,  Shifting Gears and Incite Cycles. Thank you for supporting the event and providing basic needs for people in our community!
Judith Anderson | Kristine Allen | American Family Insurance Dreams Fdtn | Robert Ball | Stephen Barrett | Gay H. Bartelt| David Beaumier | Mary & Michael Brunt | Marilyn Buck | Paul Bulanov | Tony Casale |Cheryl Buck Inc | Stewart Ellison | Pamela E. Englett| Cynthia Ferrendelli | Steve Forbes | Dina Garcia |Lynn & David Gill | Valerie Jackson| Abigail Gimness | Glow Mediclinic | Susan Hanson | Kelsy Hartmann | Lisa Heezen | John & Helen Tryon Family Trust | Amy Johnson | Solomon Kelmis-Carlton | Alan G. Kemble | Barbara Kleine | Kroger | Kulshan Brewing Company | Ann Lackland | Tom Laughlin | Carla Lee | Sonja Lee | Lynne MacDonald | Trevor Machen| The Mary Redman Foundation | Jason McCauley | Kathleen McQuaide | Jennifer Moldver | Moms Club of S Bellingham | Patti Morgan | Teresa Morris | Marilyn Moullen | Shenandoah Myrick | Nina Nancarrow | James A. Nelson | Network for Good | Susan Palmer | Debbie Parker | Plain English Technology Services | Ray & Sally Poorman | Puget Sound Energy | Bill Psyden | Melanie Psyden| Bill Rector | Karen Clark Richard | Brenda & John Riseland | Kathy Rowe-Guthrie | Margaret Schacht | Cleo Schacker | Sea Witch Botanicals| Kari Severns | Lora Sherman | JoAnn Simonarson-Poitras | Karla Slusher | Jillene Snell | Ashley Snyder | Cindy Spee | St Paul’s Episcopal Church | Delores Starcher | Sterling Rentals 1 LLC | Jasmine Talsma | Scott L Thomson | Breeanna Thramer | Ryan Thramer | Jeffrey Y. Tom | Truist | United Way of King County | Kara Van Metre | Jeremy Walters |Whatcom Community Foundation | Whatcom Events | John & Kathryn Whitmer | Sharon A. Yonally |

Want to see your name or business listed? Give today!
A More Efficient Home For Winter
Preparing your home for the upcoming winter is easy with a no-cost home energy assessment. Get valuable insight from a PSE service partner who will provide efficiency tips and replace up to 30 light bulbs for energy efficient LED bulbs (for PSE electric customers). Plus, get access to information about our rebates as well as contractor referrals for future energy efficient upgrades.
360.671.7663 | info@lydiaplace.org | www.lydiaplace.org
ENJOY 50% OFF ANY ITEM
WISE BUYS THRIFT STORE | 1224 N STATE ST
TUES THRU SAT 10AM-5PM | 360.734.0202
EXPIRES 12/30/18
CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER DISCOUNTS. MUST PRESENT COUPON AT TIME OF PURCHASE. NO CASH VALUE.