dignity
Finding the line between mansions and hovels
- Rob McCann, Executive Director
One of the standards that guides us in our efforts to provide housing for people is this question, asked by our previous executive director, Donna Hanson, when we were building new housing: “Would I feel comfortable having my mother live here?” Some people might say this is going too far. They might say we’re sacrificing too much quantity for quality. They might say that if we spread the money out more, we could serve more people.
They might be right. It’s tough deciding where to draw those lines. But one thing we’re always aware of is our desire not to injure human dignity. Would we really be providing a valuable service if we crammed a lot of people into cheap surroundings that did little to nourish the spirit?
What we deeply want for people is the same thing we want for our loved ones, for ourselves: a texture, a richness less material than spiritual. Making that manifest in a physical world usually results in something that is pleasing to the eye, something that makes you relax at the same time it makes you want to do better. That’s the kind of housing we like to provide for our clients.