US Senator Chuck Grassley visits Four Oaks and hears about one of our ACYF demonstration sites (PUSH-CR) and the keeping families together supportive housing model in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Four Oaks, along with its affiliates Jane Boyd Community House and the Affordable Housing Network, Inc., welcomed U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley to Cedar Rapids on Saturday, July 11.
During the visit, Senator Grassley learned about TotalChild, Four Oaks’ comprehensive and long-term approach for helping at-risk children and their families to achieve and maintain stability. The Senator also heard about Partners United for Supportive Housing in Cedar Rapids (PUSH-CR), the Iowa site which is part of our five-year federal demonstration grant that utilizes community collaboration to assist families experiencing homelessness or housing crisis in combination with other risk factors. He heard directly from a PUSH-CR participant about how the program helped put her on a path to success.
Senator Grassley has helped to shape federal legislation for generations of vulnerable children and families, and is interested in witnessing progress and results with Iowa children. His visit included discussions with community leaders on what additional supports and reforms are needed to sustain these efforts, and encourage better methods to improve neighborhoods and the lives of children and families.
The Senator’s visit began at the Jane Boyd Harambee House, a community hub designed to support children, families and schools in the neighborhood. Grassley also toured one of the homes recently renovated by the Affordable Housing Network, Inc. as part of the TotalChild Wellington Heights Initiative to assure safe and stable housing.