“What makes a house a ‘home?’” There’s a question that doesn’t come across our minds too often. But when most of us pause and take the time to think of what a “home” is, an image of some sort of structure pops up in our thoughts.
Whether your idea of the perfect residence is a modest apartment in the city, a quiet cabin in the mountains, or a palatial mansion fit for Beverly Hills, there’s a need that we all have for a covered space that’s capable of protecting us from the elements and keeping us safe from the outside world when we need it.
Many people in this country, however, don’t know this experience and consider a “covered structure” to be different from what most of us would call “home” with the pandemic only making these circumstances even worse. Last year, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Point-in-Time Count found that 580,466 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night in 2020, an increase of 12,751 people, or 2.2 percent, from 2019.
How did CORT Impact Homelessness in 2021 with Shelters to Shutters?
Because of this, CORT is proud to partner with Shelters to Shutters (S2S). S2S works with its network to connect individuals and families facing homelessness with employment and housing opportunities at their properties. Through the partnership, Shelters to Shutters participants receive a CORT Essentials Houseware Kit designed to ease the transition from shelter housing to independent living with items such as furniture, bedding, cookware, and linens.
Since beginning our work together in 2017, CORT has donated over $100,000 in furnishings and an Essentials Housewares Kit for S2S recipient’s homes.
“CORT [has] gone above and beyond this year to embrace our mission company-wide, rally around the individuals and families we serve and support the S2S staff and vision,” said Andy Helmer, CEO of Shelters to Shutters.