A WHOLE Embrace
We created Wellness & Housing Opportunity Linked to Employment - or WHOLE - because we recognize the need for comprehensive solutions to the problems presented by poverty.
WHOLE invites survivors of homelessness into safe, free housing for up to two years in our safe home, Marigold. We believe home should be a beautiful sanctuary that visually reminds people of their worth and offers them a peaceful place to land.
WHOLE participants earn an income working in our social enterprise recycling #5 post-consumer plastic. We focus on job-skills training, recycling education, conflict-management, emotional growth and tool-building, and clear, kind communication. Community on the Rise is the only nonprofit organization in Alabama recycling #5 post-consumer plastic, and survivors in our WHOLE Program are amongst the hands crafting new, beautiful uses for plastic waste and expanding Birmingham’s recycling options.
WHOLE participants prioritize themselves and work hard on their own journey. Through individualized and group therapy, development of a life map, and consistent loving community, WHOLE participants begin to heal. Whatever their journey includes, we surround our WHOLE participants with love, encouragement, and the tools to advocate for themselves as they resolve trauma, restore belief in themselves and their worth, and reimagine their lives.
Building a Path Forward
WHOLE celebrates survivors of homelessness for their resilience and gifts. We are so honored to get to do the work we do with the amazing people we meet.
JoAnn’s Story
“Each of the stories we tell & hear is like a small flicker of light - when we have enough of them, we will set the world on fire.” - Brene Brown
JoAnn did not have to take the leap of faith that she did in early 2021, signing on as the first woman to join our then brand new WHOLE Program.
There were so many questions we did not have answers to: Could we budget salaries for survivors of homelessness? Could women who did not know each other live together? Could we even successfully recycle plastic?
We’ve enthusiastically answered many of those questions since, and we still grapple with many others as we take more leaps of faith to grow.
JoAnn has taken each leap with us, and she has proven each time that she is truly a survivor and powerful advocate for herself and her beautiful worth.
A Look Inside Marigold
Marigold House is our first safe home for women survivors of homelessness. It is beautiful and warm, filled with lavish decor and amenities. It is important that vulnerable people who have had very little are able to visualize their worth, and an inviting home is part of that visualization.
Women have a private, locking bedrooms and share living, bath, kitchen, dining, and laundry rooms as well as a large fenced-in backyard with picnic table and swing.
It is our hope that survivors feel safe, loved, and renewed in this space.
A Look inside our Recycling Workshop
As our WHOLE Team members restore in Marigold and get connected to other resources they need, including physical and mental healthcare, they earn an income working for us recycling #5 PP post consumer waste into beautiful, sustainable jewelry & home decor. #5 plastic is rarely recycled through curbside bin programs, so we celebrate the creative work of the artisans on our team who are caring for the earth and reimagining their lives!
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