ThankfulHome.org is a program of St. Mary Development Corp.
 
 
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Know an accounting person looking for a job?

Now and then a position opens at St. Mary Development. But it's not very often because few of our staff ever leave. There's nothing like the the joy of helping someone find a safe, decent place to live.

We have a new position that has just been posted in our Finance Office. The Controller reports to Wes Young, our Vice President/ CFO. The Controller will assist with monthly closings... View Article

Help us win $20,000 in office equipment!

St. Mary Development is a finalist in the Modern Office Methods "Jump Start Your Nonprofit" contest! We have a great chance at winning $20,000 in new office equipment -- equipment that would help make us even more efficient and allow us to provide more affordable housing for those in need.

But we need your help to make it happen and it will only take you about 30 se... View Article

Can you imagine living in this apartment building?!

The beginning of the video in this post shows Marvin Gardens Apartments before St. Mary Development renovated them. The building was full of mold and bedbugs. There were leaks. Paint was peeling. Hallways were dark. And people were living there in the squalor.

It's difficult for me to imagine what it was like living at Marvin Gardens before we transformed it into 25 safe, clean, affo... View Article / Video

Grace is at it again (and now she has some help)

You may have read my post about how my 6-year-old daughter Grace raised $453 to help the seniors who live in St. Mary Development's low-income apartments. Pretty incredible.

I wrote, "Sometimes we feel like we’re imposing when we ask family and friends to help provide decent homes and basic services to the needy. But Grace’s example shows the joy that comes in asking others to... View Article / Video

Up a creek but he has a paddle

Some people might say being homeless is like being up a creek without a paddle. But Pat and Ron aren't homeless any more and Pat has a paddle. He has a kayak, too.

As a fundraiser for Children's Medical Center, Pat plans to kayak 85 miles upstream from Cincinnati to Dayton. Ron will bicycle along the way and collect donations. The men, who are both veterans (Pat a Marine and Ron, Army... View Article

Affordable housing changes lives

I was at the grand opening of the Eaton Senior Villas last week. The 44 apartment homes are beautiful and I had a chance to chat with some of the residents.

One couple who had just moved in told me the only other apartment they could find was $100 a month more expensive and was small and poorly maintained. They were thrilled to have a safe, decent, clean place to live. The video ab... View Article / Video

A few good men

Ten men living in different parts of the country -- from Florida to Idaho to New York to Tennessee.

Ten men with varied backgrounds -- from farmer to technical director to school principal to retired military.

Ten men with a passion for helping others. Ten men who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves. Ten men who are all finalists in the Sears Dads Making a Difference Con... View Article

Help Richard Freeman win $30,000 for a Dayton-area community project

Richard Freeman lead the effort to rehab the house of a single mom with three autistic kids in Kettering. Because of his faith, passion and leadership, Richard has been selected as one of 10 national finalists in the Sears Blue Tool Crew’s Dads Making a Difference contest. As a finalist, Richard will receive $3,000 in tools that his church’s Men’s Ministry will use for future outreach proj... View Article

Celebrating partnerships during NeighborWorks Week

We couldn't accomplish what we do without partners. Since St. Mary Development started more than 20 years ago, we've relied on partnerships to create 2,500+ housing units and prevent more than 1,500 foreclosures. Our nonprofit has been blessed with many talented people and supporters but we know we can't do it all by ourselves. So we focus what we do best and partner with others who have stre... View Article / Video

1,530 foreclosures prevented

Every red dot is a foreclosure prevented. Every red dot is a family that still has a place to live. Every red dot is stability for people whose lives were nearly thrown into chaos.

As the map shows, our HomeOwnership Center has prevented 1,530 foreclosures in the Dayton area. I've been blessed to meet many of the families whose homes have been saved. They're hard-working and conscient... View Article

Expanded directory now helps Hamilton, Brown and Clermont county residents find affordable and emergency housing

In May alone, the ThankfulHome.org housing directory was visited more than 650 times. That figure should increase significantly since we've added housing programs from Hamilton, Brown and Clermont counties. The database already included eight Ohio counties: Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren.

With the new additions, the directory now includes more than... View Article

Despair and hope on Lawn Street

Pastor Scott Davidson and I stand on the edge of Lawn Street, along with Pastors Stan Tharp and Rich Clay. The three tell me about the Isaiah 58 Project which refers to the Old Testament verse that says "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness."

Scott points to a nice little house and tells me s... View Article

I hate this game

PlaySpent.com is a poverty simulation created by Urban Ministries of Durham. You're a single parent with a child and $1,000. Your goal is to make it through the month by answering questions which usually don't have any good answer.

The first thing I had to do was find a job. My options were restaurant server, warehouse worker or temp. I picked temp but failed the typing test and wasn't ... View Article
 

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