To be at home is to feel safe, warm and secure. Those are feelings people experiencing homelessness in Birmingham can’t be assured of. A project unveiled Wednesday by the city of Birmingham and Faith Chapel Care Center aims to help unhoused residents find a path into permanent housing.
The Home For All pilot program consists of 14 lockable shelters with beds and other amenities at a site just west of downtown Birmingham. In addition to these pallet homes, participants selected for the program will be provided with a case worker, employment training and other wraparound services. Residents will also have to complete community service.
Michael Toliver sat in the community center, which is part of the tiny shelter complex, and wore a smile that was as bright as the sun. He is among the first 12 people accepted into the Home For All program.
“You see that mural on the wall out there with the bird?” Toliver said, referring to a mural of birds that overlooks the shelters. “I had a dream. And when I came, I looked up. I said, ‘Well this is my house right here.’ On every side, I have the vision of the bird.”
The bird is what Toliver will use each day as a reminder to keep pushing, he said.