Love First - Where Community Meets Housing

There is no place like home....there is no place like home.....there is no place like home.My most memorable moments of home are of the relationships within that home, not of the brick and mortar that offers shelter.  In fact, I feel like I have multiple homes. Maryland, where I once lived, is still home to me.  It's home because of my parents and my brother and his family. My Maryland community is where some of my dearest friends live.  When I am there, it is home.  Argyle, Texas is my physical location of home.  It is home because my husband and kids are here and it is where my shelter is.  The community and neighbors where we live also helped to make it home. The friendships that I have formed with many of my neighbors has created a desire for me to remain in this place and to engage with the people around us.  It's created a sense of belonging. Our community is a true living, breathing example of one area growing and doing life together.Housing can provide a physical space to keep you out of the elements, but home is so much more than that.  It is the relationships, the smells, the memories and the stories. Home is what we long for after a hard day at work.  It is what we dream of at the holidays. Home is refuge in being welcomed home by the Father, of dancing in the rain with your tribe, instead of drudging relentlessly in isolated loneliness.It is the community, the family, the people!  It is a sense of belonging.As I began walking alongside families who were struggling, on the verge of homelessness,  I began to see that one of the main things these families were missing was community. Most of our families, because of many circumstances, have moved around a lot, therefore, creating a form of homelessness.  Even though they may have a house in every location, there is typically not time, resources or even desire to develop a sense of belonging or community.  Without that sense of belonging or that place where you are both known and loved wholeheartedly, there is little hope.  Without hope there is no motivation.Thus, came the vision and plan for the Love First Community!  I recognized very quickly the need for affordable housing in our area, but I realized that the need is not only for our families to find a house but to find a home. To understand, hope and desire a home.  A place where they belong, create memories, build community and lasting relationships that go beyond the house.Love First will be a place where community meets housing for families that have hope for a future! A place where they can not only find affordable housing, but they can also build lasting relationships with others within the community.  It is a place where they can learn the love of our Father God and the unconditional love and grace that is offered to us through His Son, Jesus.  It is place where families can learn the importance of home, the importance of the stories and relationships that build that home.  It is a safe place of belonging, learning, hope, and grace.All of us here at Grace Like Rain believe that living in a community that seeks to foster and grow strong and healthy relationships will give our families hope for a different future.  A desire to belong and to know one another.  A desire to walk alongside each other in both the good and the hard times.  A sense of accountability and a willingness to learn and grow together.We seek to help decrease homelessness, not just houslessness. We need to walk with families as they develop a home, not just a put them in a house.  And we believe that the best way to do that is in community!We believe 100% in the Love First vision. We believe that this community is part of a big God-plan. If you would like to partner with us in attacking the poverty cycle in Denton County, please visit our capital campaign that we are kicking off. We would love to have you become part of the GLR family!