Metro Detroit nonprofits partner to help Southfield family transition out of homelessness

(CBS DETROIT) Several charitable organizations are helping a Southfield family have a slightly better holiday season.

A previously homeless family received food and furniture donations from Picking Up The Pieces in collaboration with The Dre Project.

Shana White is finishing up a gallery wall for one of her customers.

“They had nothing at all when they left this place. There were no beds for them to sleep on. “They had nothing, and it was probably something they could only dream of when they returned,” White stated.

White had heard the story before.

“I used to be homeless. “I understand what it’s like to enter a home with nothing because I went through the homeless process with my older son,” White said.

White began Picking Up the Pieces for this reason.

“The furniture is more important than just the four walls. It’s about providing stability and finality to their homelessness,” White stated.

Following an automobile accident that made it challenging to work, Shaunnika Britt-Watson fell on hard times. After that, she experienced the terrible loss of her mother.

“That just took me to a downward spiral, and just pretty much where I’m at now and getting myself back together,” Britt-Watson stated.

Recently, Britt-Watson and her family of five moved from homelessness to their own apartment.

“It was quite different than staying at the hotel; it seemed like we had peace and comfort. That’s how it felt, Britt-Watson explained.

The charity organization donated and put together everything the family could possibly need, including mattresses, a dining room table, a workstation, and a sofa.

“As difficult as it may be, asking for assistance is crucial. We all require assistance. Each of us depends on the others. Each of us is a component of the others. Therefore, Britt-Watson advised, “get out, get your ego out of the way, and get some help.”

For White, the hours of labor were worthwhile when she saw the happiness on the faces of Britt-Watson and two of her four children.

“I do it for that reason, so my heart is absolutely full. “We give people hope,” White stated.

This family may now look forward to the future because this apartment is now their home.

Joe Buczek works for CBS Detroit as the manager of digital content and promotion. The Leader and the Kalkaskian, the Oakland Press, the Morning Sun, the Grand Traverse Insider, and WWTV were among his prior employers.

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