2016-2017_PFC_AnnReport_digital

A STORY
OF HOPE
THIRTY UNDER 30
This year we helped more than a dozen of our guests
transition from life on the streets to stable housing. Each
of these individuals experienced homelessness for a unique
set of reasons, often including a combination of mental
health issues, struggles with addiction, and a profound lack
of trust in societal norms after experiencing incarceration.
Here is one of their stories.
With her boisterous personality, Brittany more than held
her own among the mostly male community at the Pope
Francis Center. She also faced some incredible challenges
while using the Center’s services. Along with her partner
Mike, Brittany flagged cars for a parking lot downtown
and stayed all over the downtown area, including under the
parking structure where she worked. But when she found
out she was pregnant in August 2016, she worried that the
rough conditions on the streets would result in her third
miscarriage. After telling staff member Joe about her worries,
we worked hard to keep her healthy and safe. Thankfully,
Brittany found a place to live in November and welcomed a
healthy baby girl
named Kourtney
on April 19 th .
Brittany and
Kourtney visit
the Pope Francis
Center when they
can, sometimes
helping out as volunteers. Brittany still looks back on her
time at the Pope Francis Center fondly, saying that the
people here go the extra mile to help. She remembers when
we found her a
wool coat that fit
her in later stages
of her pregnancy
and when our
Jesuit volunteer
stayed late to do
her laundry. She says The Pope Francis Center is different
than other warming centers because we’re like a family and
she feels at home.
Seeing our guests achieve this success is one of the most
rewarding experiences we have at the Center. It is through
the generosity of our friends, donors, and volunteers that
we are able to support our homeless brothers and sisters.
Ford Motor Company chose the Pope Francis Center as a non-profit partner for its 2016-2017 Thirty Under 30 program.
Each year Ford selects thirty of Ford’s most promising young engineers, financiers, marketers and IT professionals from
across the country and places them with thriving non-profits in the Detroit area, as part of an initiative to create future
generations community-minded workers.
Over the course of a year, each Thirty under 30 team
works to understanding the challenges facing their
non-profit partner, and seek innovative solutions to
help them better serve their clients and communities.
Through this process, these young professionals have a
chance to engage with their communities and learn to
seek solutions through which all thrive.
This year, the Pope Francis Center has been blessed to
work with Hannah Bailey, Body Structures Development
Engineer from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology,
Kimberly Barr Adaptive Steering Design and Release
Engineer from University of California-Davis, Kelly
Bedro, Product Development Systems Engineer from
the University of Michigan-Dearborn , Boratha Tan,
Hybrid Systems and Components Engineer from
Villanova University, and
L’Nard Tufts, Product
Engineering Designer
from Ohio State University.
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