When someone in our community is in crisis, the instinct is often to offer immediate relief. It’s a beautiful sentiment, but true, lasting change requires a plan. What happens when the free hotel nights run out? Where do they go next?
This is a question we answer every day at Sweet Oak. Recently, a conversation on Nextdoor prompted Esther Miranda (our President and Founder) to beautifully explain the crucial difference between distributing free resources and doing the hard, necessary work of Case Management.
Her response is a perfect summary of how we ensure every individual gets exactly what they need to move toward permanent stability, rather than just a temporary fix. Here is what she had to say:
“Saying we will ‘comp’ rooms, without further context, implies that we just give out free hotel rooms. I get phone calls every single day asking for free hotel rooms from people who have heard that we provide emergency shelter, so I need to clarify:
When Sweet Oak decides to pay entirely for a hotel room, it is after we, or an agency partner, have spent time on intake, committed to case management, and determined that a few paid-for hotel nights are necessary to move someone forward toward a goal of more permanent housing, or into a shelter for which there is no immediate space.
If that effort does not take place, then what happens after providing hotel rooms for a few nights? What next? Where do they go?
If we help someone get a greatly reduced rate instead of them paying full price, it’s because we have determined that they are receiving an income and can make that reduced payment. And we want to save them money! I am happy to talk to a hotel manager and get anyone a reduced rate if they are paying for it.
But we don’t offer free nights to anyone without determining their needs and what they are capable of contributing. We take very seriously the responsibility of spending the generous donations we receive.
Without case management, everything else is a handout and not a hand up.”
“We care about their next PLACE, not just their next NIGHT”
Providing lasting solutions for housing instability takes time, resources, and dedicated case management. That is exactly what Sweet Oak Collaborative is committed to doing for the Bryan/College Station community.
As a local non-profit serving the greater Brazos Valley, we rely on the generosity of our community to fund these comprehensive support services. When you support Sweet Oak, you aren’t just buying someone a night in a hotel—you are funding the intake, planning, and dedicated case management required to help them achieve permanent stability.
Help us continue to provide a true hand up in Bryan and College Station. Click here to donate now.