Affordable housing can be difficult to come by for low-income individuals.
Catholics for Housing (CFH) aims to provide shelter for those living in Northern Virginia.
Last year, it purchased the East End Mobile Home Park in Manassas.
The park’s residents were at risk of losing their homes due to several issues that have since been addressed.
In addition to helping individuals obtain affordable housing, 39-year-old organization offers many programs.
Through its Senior Rental Assistance Program, it supports active older adults.
“We subsidize the monthly rent for seniors as well as giving them a security deposit,” said Charlie Einsmann, who serves on CFH’s Board of Directors.
The CHOICES Life Skills Program is also popular.
Participants gain knowledge about various topics and learn how to complete new tasks, such as resume writing.
“We teach them how to handle their finances, we teach them how to make good relationship decisions, we teach them how to make good decisions on what they consume as far as eating,” Einsmann said.
CFH, a Dumfries-based non-profit, is accepting donations.
Financial support is especially needed for its Senior Rental Assistance Program.
“We certainly don’t meet the demand for our seniors. We need more money for that,” Einsmann said. “We currently house 55 seniors and with the baby boom population getting older and older, there’s going to be more need for that. So, we definitely could use a little bit more funding for the seniors, because we have a waiting list of 10 or 20 seniors, as we speak.”
The organization is also looking for volunteers, especially those who legal, real estate and social media knowledge.
“We could use pretty much anybody who’s willing to volunteer to a good cause and especially a challenging cause, like the affordability housing is,” Einsmann said.
