Community Engagement: What We’re Doing (cont'd from newsletter)

At the event, Renaissance Social Services, Inc. had an interactive booth for community members to engage with. The idea was to give members of the community an opportunity to experience what the Renaissance Living Room is all about. There was a sofa for relaxing, a candy drawer for a dopamine boost, and a rug for aesthetics. This is just a small piece of what community members can expect when visiting our facilities. We also had on display, two poster boards. The first one focused on the Renaissance Living Room Space. This board provided a question-and-answer session that highlighted the importance of harm reduction and trauma informed care, key components of our Renaissance Living Room Experience. The second provided community members with an opportunity to express how they coped with the pandemic and the lockdown over the past year.

Several members of the community mentioned the importance of facilities like the Renaissance Living Room. In one conversation, a youth mentioned the difficulties he had in understanding how to cope with his emotions. Having these conversations in the community really drives home the importance of the work we do here at, Renaissance.

Our executive director, Michael Banghart, took advantage of an opportunity to have a conversation with Alderman La Spata (1st Ward) at Saturday's event. The two spoke about the importance of the work we do here at Renaissance. La Spata also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be outside after the lockdown. .

All this work would not have been possible without the assistance of the 1st ward and the work executed by the peace and health commission, a group of leaders of which Renaissance is an active and proud member. Renaissance will continue to support and fight for initiatives that work to prevent homelessness and promote equality. We look forward to seeing you at our next event.