A Fresh Start

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

A new home or apartment is always an exciting thing. The empty rooms and bare walls beckon with possibility and there is a deep sense of satisfaction because this is home.

Unfortunately, along with all that enthusiasm, excitement, and chest-swelling, there are a lot of costs that come along with having your own place. The start-up costs can be particularly steep when it comes to cleaning and maintenance supplies. You know, all that pesky gear that is necessary to keeping your new home tidy…

...brooms, mops, dust-pans, glass cleaner, paper-towels, toilet brush, toilet bowl cleaner, tile scrubber, mildew remover, dust rags, dusting spray stuff, sponges, scrubby sponges, dish soap, bleach, cleaning buckets, all-purpose cleaning powders, liquids, and gels…I could keep going but I think you get the point.

Buying even the most basic of all this stuff is expensive and for our formerly-homeless clients who are transitioning to permanent housing, the costs are overwhelming.

Happily, thanks to a grant from the Rita M. McGinley Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, EECM will now be able to provide our PennFree and Bridge Housing clients with Fresh Start Kits as they begin their new lives of independent living.

The Fresh Start Kits will contain basic cleaning tools and supplies that will give our clients a “fresh start” in their new apartments. Each Fresh Start Kit will include a heavy-duty cleaning bucket, a mop, a broom, a high-quality scrub brush, a dust pan, rubber gloves, cleaning rags, and a variety of cleaning products.

These kits aren’t just a gesture of hospitality, done because we’re nice people. They have a very important purpose within our programs. The Fresh Start Kits allow our transitional housing clients to immediately take responsibility for the care and upkeep of their new apartments, which increases their sense of pride in ownership. This pride of ownership is vital to their success in our housing programs.

Thanks to the Rita M. McGinley Fund and The Pittsburgh Foundation for making this possible!