Crescimento Limpo, Supportive Housing for Homeless

Operating services at CL always try to be aware of the immediate realities facing our residents and our city. This year has kept our creative energies pumping! 

In 2019 we received fourteen Venezuelanos to live with us at our halfway house. We have been able to help many of these individuals bring their families from Venezuela and move on from their initial stay at our halfway house to independent living. Finding dignified housing is always a challenge for our more vulnerable friends. We see them pushed out to the margins of society and over charged for sub-par housing. This year we have developed some partnerships to offer better options.

For example, Jhoandelys, who moved to Brazil without speaking Portuguese and without personal resources, was exploited by employers who provided housing as a means of entrapment, and she found herself working six months without pay. Living at CL, her story changed; she got a full-time job at a hotel and had the opportunity to create savings and build towards her independence. From the first day at CL house, she had the goal to bring her four children and mother from Venezuela to Itu to live with her. Recently I had the pleasure of celebrating this victory with her! The family (her mom, four sons, and a cousin) arrived in January 2020. In March she also received her sister, brother-in-law and nephew. That brought her household to a total of 10, crammed into her one-bedroom apartment. This month we were able to facilitate a larger house for a better rent within our neighborhood so we can be a closer support during her family's development. It's a "learn-as-you-go" experience, and we are learning as fast as we can to provide support and facilitate community resources.

As you might imagine, serving so many individuals within a confined space has produced it's due concerns as COVID-19 has become a new global issue. Our recent group sessions have focused on personal and communal hygiene and disease understanding/prevention and we have equipped our house with multiple new soap and alcohol gel dispensers. We are trying to use this moment to make the necessary adaptations that communal health requires, and also as a teaching moment to help our residents be aware and ready to react to the many complicated situations that life will present.

Our residents tend to appreciate these nudges and promptings towards thoughtful living. Silvio, a current resident, describes his housing experience at CL, "Hello. My name is Silvio, I am 49 years old. I arrived at Crescimento Limpo seven months ago looking for a new direction for my life. After many years of suffering with addiction- because I am a recovering alcoholic, I looked to CL for support. I was able to start living again! But I did not only find support, but a whole new direction with solid foundations established in  sincere and honest relationship. I found people really willing to help in this new stage of my life. I found not only a shelter but all the support- emotional, psychological, spiritual and even financial. I can see a different tomorrow and a cleand and sober tomorrow. To sum it up in one word: GRATITUDE! Support this cause! "

As 2020 continues, we keep an eye on the horizon of social change. 

We are very grateful for the support that allows us to continue to care for the most vulnerable. Thank you for your commitment to our cause. The Crescimento Limpo motto is, "Tudo Renova", or in English 'All Things Renew' and your support keeps that door of opportunity open. Thank you!

16 de Dezembro, 2019

Itu, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Crescimento Limpo Year End Report for Supporters

This last year has been absolutely full of changes and new developments for our organization, and we are proud to say that our mission statement, to facilitate a healthy independence for our friends who seek recovery from homelessness and drug addiction,  has been lived out well through these developments. We close the year thankful for the support we've received and with dreams for the future innovations that are already underway!

Report:

We have been developing our ministry to the homeless since 2009, when we began receiving homeless for lunch in our home. We progressed to helping our new homeless friends enter drug rehab facilities, and began our supportive housing services in 2011 as the Brazilian NGO, Crescimento Limpo (CL). CL now operates a large home downtown Itu where we receive up to twenty-five individuals including men, women and families. So far in 2019, forty nine individuals have lived at CL, including two families. 

Our residents come to us from rehab clinics, direct from homelessnes, and this year fourteen residents have come as refugees from Venezuela. The variety of our residents' circumstances and difficult backgrounds have demanded a specialized team and programing. 

In order to create discipleship and job opportunities for residents, we developed an urban garden in 2015, a café in 2018, and a small farm in 2019. These spaces are used to work alongside every resident as they begin their time with us, and we currently employ eight residents full-time. These three locations are owned by three separate community members who each offer their properties rent-free as a means of supporting our recovery ministry.

This year our CL team has been further developed by the addition of Fabiola, who this month graduates as a social worker, and the simultaneous graduation of her husband Rogerio in civil engineering. Rogerio has been on staff for four years and serves as property manager and  house monitor. CL sponsored Rogerio's college education, who has already served our ministry immensely with his construction abilities as well as equipping our residents with skills to improve their professional capacities. Your financial support has been key in facilitating his studies, as well as Wayne's college - a previous CL resident who leads the kitchen of our café and will graduate with a culinary degree at the end of 2020.

At the moment:       

Our current and most pressing need is for the building project of an urban farm, currently under construction. This site is being used to increase our discipleship and job opportunities, creating a place to develop closer interactions with the population of Itu (we plan to organize monthly Volunteer Saturdays for families, schools, and businesses in our community), and our residents in recovery, as well as providing a source of income for our organization. We estimate US$25,000 in order to conclude all phases of this project, which include material and labor for structure, electric, and furniture. We are currently fundraising this amount in order to conclude and inaugurate the farm building in the Spring of 2020. Any amount donated towards this need will help us continue to build unusual and transformative community in Itu, reflecting more the nearness of the Kingdom on Earth.

Your ongoing generosity helps us be present to the homeless of Itu and maintain an open door to those who would pursue a life of  recovery.

We would like to offer a video as further explanation of our ministry. Please access the Crescimento Limpo channel on Youtube and see the video titled "Mark and Ali tell the story of Crescimento Limpo"

God has been gracious to us, and we are thankful for the favor we have found in the development of this ministry.  We count our partnership with you as evidence of that provision, and will be grateful for the opportunity to continue for years to come.

Mark and Ali Kaiser for Crescimento Limpo

Links:

• CL year end report for 2019 (printable)