Holly House event will help the homeless
Holly Tate founded Holly House, a Wooster-based nonprofit that helps the homeless.
Holly House is a Wooster-based nonprofit that helps the homeless. It is planning a holiday-season fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Best Western Plaza in Wooster.
Mistletoe Magic Vendor and Craft Fair will help Holly House continue its mission of hope for people with nowhere to live.
“We’ve been able to help 18 households in 2018,” Holly House founder Holly Tate said. The organization began actively helping clients in 2015.
Persons applying to Holly House for assistance must be truly homeless and able to gain footing in a new and independent life in a new home. Holly House helps with security deposits and first month’s rent as well as with guidance, assistance and the ability to draw on the aid of numerous other social-service agencies in the area to help ensure a successful transition to independence.
“Quite sadly I had to decline about 36 applications this year as they didn’t meet our qualification standards,” Tate said. “They weren’t truly homeless, or there were some background issues, perhaps addiction, which would make starting again very difficult. We immediately refer those in need of help for other problems to agencies who can help cover those very basic problems first.”
The November fundraiser will be all about local small businesses and craftspeople. “There will be vendors with home-based small businesses,” Tate said. "You’ll see vendors from Pampered Chef, Tastefully Yours, Mary Kaye and others. Then we also have locally made crafters who work in jewelry or maybe woodworking. Some will offer locally crafted holiday wreaths.”
Each vendor will supply a raffle item for the day with proceeds benefiting Holly House.
Tate said she likes to work with local organizations. “I like to work with local businesses and contractors. There’s an immediate and real benefit to the area in doing so,” she said.
The holiday event raised $2,500 last year. The fundraiser also serves to kick off Tate’s season of fundraising, which will be critical in helping the homeless in 2019.
“We send a packet out explaining how we’ve used our funding in the current year so contributors can get a feel for exactly what we’ve done with their money. That campaign is very important to us, and we appreciate every single dollar we receive,” Tate said.
Tate said many contributors came out to the first holiday fundraiser last year.
Tate also spoke of a woman she helped find a home previously who contacted her earlier this year. “She was in need of help again, though she wasn’t technically homeless," Tate said. "She found herself living in a dangerous domestic situation and reached out to me because she said I was the only person who had truly helped her and she felt she could trust me to point her in the proper direction to get the help she needed. I was very pleased that she felt that way.”
Perhaps the greatest indicator of the success rate at Holly House is that Tate usually doesn’t hear from clients once they’re settled and moving on with their lives. "They’re working, they’re busy and getting on with things, and I don’t hear from them. That tells me they’re doing OK,” Tate said.
Holly House website is at www.hollyhouseinc.com. One also can find them on Facebook.