Friday, May 1, 2015

HELP DEFEAT HOMELESSNESS

I absolutely love this particular city's idea of helping with the homeless situation! In Oregon, the city of Eugene has created,  Opportunity Village Eugene, which is a nonprofit organization based in that city, that has a great plan to end homelessness.  They are building tiny homes and using donations to raise funds to help build each one of these homes.

I think every city should learn from this project and help do something about the homeless situation, especially in today's economy, where it is not too-far fetched to have so many homeless people.  This project does not mean it is a permanent solution, but as the article below explains, it is a stepping-stone for those who need help "getting on their feet" again!

I am sure this concept has not only provided shelter for those who desperately need it, but has made many people happy and given them a new lease on life, so to speak!
Kudos to Opportunity Village Eugene!

This City Is Defeating Homelessness With Tiny Homes, But They Need Our Help!

Source:  Higher Perspective
April 27, 2015
 
 
On any given night in the central Oregon city of Eugene, there are about 3,000 people who don’t have a home to return to. Opportunity Village Eugene, a nonprofit organization based in that city, has a big plan to end it.
Tiny houses.
Opportunity Village panorama 1


The mission of Opportunity Village Eugene is simple but impactful: they want to create small, self-managed communities of low-cost tiny houses for those who lack homes. Opportunity Village isn’t a permanent housing arrangement for the city’s homeless. Rather, it’s a stepping stone to transitioning back into society and having a home themselves. “After only a few months of living there my girlfriend and I now are living a life where we are able to sustain a home on our own after being homeless for 2 years.” says Sam Johns on the organization’s website.

-31430a753c52c00f                                            Opportunity Village is a rather bare bones operation. The homes serve as shelter and a safe place to store belongings and not much more. The tiny homes are at most 60 square feet and are not equipped with running water, plumbing or electricity. Some residents have been able to get their hands on donated solar panels to power small devices like cell phones and small appliances.

But now, Opportunity Village Eugene is raising $15,000 to establish Emerald Village, a 15-home community that’s fully equipped with electricity, running water, outdoor fathering area, laundry facility, food pantry, walking paths, and a parking area. Each of the homes will be 128 to 250 square feet, a big improvement from the powerless, waterless 60 square foot homes.
Tiny House Village PED
Members of Emerald Village will make monthly payments toward operational costs of the cooperative and will share in the ownership of it. Each monthly payment will be at most $250 and will go toward utilities and a share of the village, earning the lower-income residents equity. Emerald Village will also be self-governed Democracy Style by the residents who live there.


CLICK HERE to make a donation toward Emerald Village.
As of this writing, Emerald city is $7,419 of the way to their $15,000 goal. They also have a matching grant for $50,000 in place right now too, so every dollar donated is doubled.
It’s a small step in countering a huge problem, but I get the feeling it’s going to be one of many.
(ref. Higher Perspective)

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LIFE IS FALLING APART?

The hardest time to be positive and happy is when you feel your life is "falling apart!"  Sometimes we feel this way because our career may not be headed where we think it should be, or sometimes, there are marital issues or sometimes even worse, it could be financial problems.  Sure, it is easy to be happy when everything is going well, but when things are going in the wrong direction, well, that's when you need all your strength to come in.  This is why it is so important to keep reading positive messages, books, blog posts, articles, quotes, anything to keep you motivated and surrounded by people who will lift your spirits, not bring you down.  It is very difficult to maintain a positive attitude if you have lost a job, a loved one, or if you are going though an emotional roller coaster because of a relationship.

“Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.” – Paulo Coelho

This sometimes tends to be the case, as they say, "when it rains it pours," and everything happens to you at once, or so you feel.  It is in moments like this that you must gather up all of your courage and strength, put your big boy or girl pants on, and keep moving forward!

When One Door ClosesRemember that even when things seem grim, there is always a silver lining.  One door closing, usually means something better awaits you!  Learn to live your life to be happy and everything else will follow!  It is how we view things that affects our reaction to it.  Even if something bad happens to us or around us, knowing that it will eventually get better, will help you move on.  There is always sunshine after a storm. It may take a while, but it will shine again and so will you!

TIPS TO STAY POSITIVE WHEN THINGS AROUND YOU ARE NOT:
  • Surround yourself with positive people
  • Read books, messages, quotes that will motivate and inspire you
  • Volunteer at an organization or find someone to help or mentor
  • Try not to complain for one week (or one day at a time)
  • If you want to be inspired, inspire someone else
“If you can dream it, then you can achieve it.  You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar

5 TIPS FOR POSITIVE & HAPPY DAILY INTERACTIONS

We never get a second chance to make a first impression. Therefore, every interaction is an important one.

Remember these 5 tips as you encounter people on a daily basis:


5 TIPS FOR POSITIVE & HAPPY DAILY INTERACTIONS

1. Do not let personal or professional stressors affect your communication with others, especially in the work place.

2. Demonstrate a caring attitude by treating others as you wish to be treated.

3. Acknowledge people immediately even if you have to stop what you're doing.

4. When you meet someone for the first time: Smile, make eye contact, and introduce yourself.  It is amazing the difference it makes when someone looks you in the eye when they are speaking to you.

5. Rudeness is never appropriate. Make an effort, at all times to treat others with courtesy and respect.