To say that 2020 was a tough year is to state the painfully obvious. When I look back on Fair Tide’s 12 month journey I see a rocky trail with boulders so large it’s hard to tell where we started. Yet, here we are, standing strong at the finish line which has seamlessly become the launching pad for another year’s work. This expedition was not a solo venture, though. Over those boulders Fair Tide was bolstered by our community of supporters, and together we lifted up those who had fallen along the way, carrying them through the finish line with us.
For Fair Tide, crossing that finish line didn’t just mean surviving a challenging year; it meant expanding our reach through achieving our strategic growth plan goals. Standing beside us at year’s end looking at a bright new future were 11 households for whom we helped secure stable housing. Beside them were an additional 36 households who were able to remain in their homes through support from our COVID Relief Fund.
Among the community of folks who strengthened our work this last year were landlords and property managers who showed an increased interest in partnering during the pandemic. Our Landlord Engagement Initiative, launched in late 2019, facilitated this work by offering a menu of incentives to landlords who rent to households experiencing homelessness. Just a few weeks ago we celebrated the success of this pilot program as the fifth household moved into their new home. Armed with proof of efficacy, we are working to expand this unique program through attracting additional landlords.
Progress that was less concrete, slower to materialize, but just as important was made in our work to develop new units of affordable housing. The Kittery town council adopted an affordable housing package that includes critical changes to zoning which allow for, incentivize and mandate the development of affordable housing units. The measures also established an affordable housing fund and tasked the Housing Committee with recommending how to deploy these resources. Fair Tide’s advocacy and key role on the Housing Committee helped lay this groundwork which will make possible the types of affordable housing projects our strategic plan envisions.
Our successes are notable, and our work is far from over. While we remain hopeful that this year’s path is less riddled with boulders, we are confident that together, we can overcome whatever obstacles lie ahead. We charge into the journey that will be 2021 with clarity of vision and purpose, and guided by a sound plan of action to lift even more people out of homelessness and into housing. We invite you to join us, in whatever way you are able, on this expedition to change lives.