Potlovin

At the 2nd annual Homelover’s Potluck, over a dozen of the families in The Tricycle Collective came together to meet, eat, and celebrate the end of “Foreclosure Season” here in Detroit.

Some families are proud deed-holding homeowners, some are waiting to pay off land contracts, and others are struggling to find a new place to live as the new owners begin to materialize on their front doors.

We enjoyed homecooked recipes, introduced neighbors to one another, and shared what home means to us. It was a beautiful thing.

There’s more to be done (always, constantly, overwhelmingly) but today we rest and celebrate the people who have home or hope in part because of our work.

When asked what does home mean to you:

“Home is a safe environment for my children” -Cassandra

“Home is safety, no one putting you out” -Denise

“Home is family. Your first introduction to community life. Homes shelters you from the wether and life” -Clarene

“I’ve had 11 addresses in 13 years. Home is stability.” -Cassandra

“Home is where the heart is.” -June

“Home is where I can take my guard down and relax” -Mahala

“The last 30 days have been the best in 3 years. I know I have my home now.” -George

We closed the evening with a moment of recognition for the families in and out of the room that did not manage to save their hoes. We’ve all had that uncertainty at some point in our lives and we can only hope to build a safety net for those people and to learn how to make those inevitable transitions as infrequent and gentle as possible.

Peace.