Families and households that are on the economic edge experience significant stress – not only financial, but also spiritual, physical and mental. Resources and strategies for managing food, shelter, safety, work, transportation and child minding are often fragile and fall apart under pressure. Securing a home in an affordable housing community stabilizes one key part of life: safe, secure housing at an affordable rent. And for some families and individuals, that is enough of a foundation for them to move forward toward their own goals. For others, more kinds of support can be critically important. Current research is showing that housing, food, and water are key social determinants of individual and community health. Affordable housing communities have the opportunity to respond to the needs of the families and households that are gathered in the housing community – in creative ways. WORKS strives to do that.

In our multifamily developments and in our special needs housing, we offer ENRICHED SERVICES, designed to support the aspirations of families and individuals to improve their economic prospects, to maintain good health, to support their children’s education, and to find meaningful community and beauty in their environment.

In our housing for individuals with special needs, we also offer SUPPORTIVE SERVICES to make sure that formerly homeless residents or residents at risk of homelessness (whether transitional aged youth, veterans, persons with developmental disabilities or others with special needs) are reliably connected to the community resources they need to be functional and to thrive in independent living situations.

Finally, WORKS supports LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY development for its residents. The processes of living together, learning together and building community together naturally build awareness of the ways in which the larger community and society could better meet the needs of individuals and families under economic stress. WORKS helps to channel that awareness. And, as witness to the issues residents are facing on the ground and to the deepening severity of the shortage of affordable housing, WORKS team members engage actively in advocacy at the city, county and state levels.