Next Chapter helps people exiting homelessness furnish new homes with dignity and choice
News Story by Cindy Hval | FāVS News
What once was a church sanctuary now houses all the things people coming out of homelessness need to create their own sanctuaries.
In April, Next Chapter Home and Leadership Development opened its doors in the former Sunrise Church of Christ in North Spokane.
The new nonprofit offers a two-program approach to empowering underrepresented community members and individuals exiting homelessness.
The beginning
An excess of sporting goods and an awareness of the needs of the unhoused provided the seeds that blossomed into the Next Chapter.
Longtime friends, Lerria Schuh and Julie Silbar, met for lunch.
“I kept fumbling over sporting equipment in my house,” said Silbar. “I wondered if I could start a nonprofit and give it away.”
An adjunct professor at Gonzaga University, Silbar holds a doctorate in leadership studies and is strongly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Schuh, the executive director of the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, said her work opened her eyes to the needs of the unhoused in our community.
“I saw people getting moved into housing with just the bare bones supplies,” she said.
Their lunchtime conversation sprouted an innovative idea: creating a place for people to get everything they need to make a home when transitioning from homelessness to housing. They envisioned a one-stop shopping experience featuring items from beds to bathroom furnishings, from couches to cooking utensils.
Additionally, clients from Next Chapter can go a step further and take a six-month leadership course, enabling them to use their lived experience to help others.
Next Chapter Home
Entering the former church sanctuary is like walking into a furniture store showroom. Artfully designed furniture groupings allow clients to meander from bedroom necessities to kitchen supplies.
Schuh and Silbar wanted to give their clients more than gently used/new home furnishings — they wanted to allow them to select those items.
“The intent is that when someone comes into shop, they can have a choice for the first time in a long time,” said Schuh.
Currently, Next Chapter only accepts clients who are working with the organization’s five community partners. This ensures the individuals have secured housing and are working with appropriate resources to continue building a healthy, sustainable future.
A representative from one of the partnering nonprofits accompanies the client on their shopping trip.
Instead of a welcome basket, shoppers receive a ribbon-bedecked welcome bucket, filled with what they need to keep their new home spick and span.
In addition to furniture, they can select neatly packaged sets of kitchen utensils, silverware and color-coordinated bath towels.
Artwork, houseplants, books, toys, games, sporting goods and pet essentials provide everything they need to make their new space feel like home.
“My favorite thing is our checkout desk,” said Schuh.
The shopper’s selections are neatly boxed, and the sign above the desk reads, “Today, I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath and step on through and start the Next Chapter in my life.”
Volunteers and donations welcome
The all-volunteer nonprofit welcomes assistance of all kinds. Volunteers can help in myriad ways, from washing donated items in the newly installed laundry room to small sewing projects to minor furniture repairs.
Current needs include new/mostly-new mattresses, living room furniture and flat screen TVs with stands. Monetary donations are welcome and are tax-deductible.
Food and clothing items are not accepted. Community donation days are posted on Facebook. Otherwise, donations are accepted by appointment only via the website. A frequently updated wish list is also posted on the site.
The next step
In the fall, Next Chapter Leadership will host its first cohort. Taught by Silbar, the free six-month board development and leadership course is geared toward those who have experienced homelessness and underrepresented community members.
“Often people with lived experience don’t get invited to the table to be part of the solution,” Silbar said. “This will give them tools and something to put on their resumes.”
Coursework includes an in-depth study of organizational practices, financial oversight, human resource best practices and nonprofit board strategy.
Upon course completion, Next Chapter: Leadership students will be prepared to serve on nonprofit boards and have the training to enhance the next chapter of their career.
Turning the page
With a two-year lease, Next Chapter has plenty of time to settle in and watch the vision come to life.
“CityLight Church is our landlord,” said Schuh. “They even left us their espresso maker and coffee bar.”
CityLight is the result of a merger between Sunrise Church of Christ and Northside Church of Christ.
“They wanted this building to be used to provide for the community,” she said.
Serving their first client proved to be an emotional experience — not only for the client, but for Schuh and Silbar, too.
“He looked around and was incredulous that he could choose what he needed,” said Silbar. “He cried, and so did we.”
Empowering and equipping the marginalized and underrepresented in their community continues to fuel their passion.
“At the heart of this is dignity for the person as they step into the next chapter of their lives,” said Schuh.
