“What would it be to take the asset of community on the streets, move it indoors, pair it with our resources to create a safe, healthy community for people to get what they need out of the place that they live?”
We invite you to take 6 minutes to watch the video above and reflect upon the vision shared by our leaders and neighbors
The Jeremiah Community will include at least 50 small homes (450 square feet), a community center, a garden, an art workshop, and a variety of on-site supportive services. Land has been identified, and Micah is working to clear several zoning hurdles. We are developing a funding strategy and meeting with stakeholders who live and work near the identified property to understand what core elements will make the project successful.
The total project is estimated to cost between $12 to $16 million. A fund established with the Community Foundation will allow Micah to leverage The Community Foundation’s more than 25 years of experience managing and communicating with major donors. It will also help Micah to hold funds dedicated to the project separately from its regular operating dollars.
To learn more about Jeremiah Community visit: www.jeremiahcommunity.org
Housing Stabilization Navigator (director)
Directs team of housing support staff that locate, support neighbors who are developing skills to maintain housing after homelessness.
Housing Care Coordinator (case manager)
Coordinates housing-focused care for neighbors who have moved from street homelessness to permanent housing. Includes interventions internal to Micah and across community partners.
Housing Locator (tenant agent)
Networks local landlords to enhance access to permanent housing solutions for people overcoming homelessness. The Housing Locator works across the homeless response system to provide training on housing opportunities and tenant/landlord roles and responsibilities.
HealthBridge invites local medical and mental health providers to offer care in the Micah Hospitality Center or, in some cases, in the homes of neighbors who are struggling with health connections. Between weekly visits from Fredericksburg Christian Health Center and health clinics offered by Germanna Nursing Students, more than 228 health access connections have been made in the program’s first year. Through HealthBridge, Micah’s housing team also be partners with a home care agency, which supports some of our more vulnerable housed neighbors with activities of daily living. In the coming year, we are looking too expand upon mental health care partnerships and support groups
While HealthBridge is not an effort to provide community-based primary care, it is a “bridge” for people who are accustomed to addressing needs on a survival basis to engage with more comprehensive systems of care.
Fredericksburg’s downtown churches began their journey toward the vision for Micah Ecumenical Ministries almost 18 years ago. We’ve now been at this as many years as there are miles to the treacherous Jericho Road of the Good Samaritan story. Along the way, encounters with our neighbors’ suffering have taught us much about the home God envisions for humanity, and how we are called to take part.