The Plymouth Housing Group tenant holiday party was festive and joyful for all who attended.

 

Story by David Hathaway, Housing Case Manager, Plymouth Housing Group

 

For our tenants, the holidays are not always seen as the best of times, but reflecting back upon feelings shared to me by various tenants, the holiday party is one event they can always count on to make the holidays a little bit brighter.

In just a few hours, our tenants–who come from all walks of life–came together to share what they had in common, a desire to feel a part of something. Virgil J. (at left) who attends many of Plymouths events, said, “I had an amazing time!”

With smiles, hot food and warm conversation, the strong Plymouth message of hope and family emanated from all who took part in the event.

For many of the tenants, this was not only a time to experience the warmth of the holidays, but also a time to come out of their shells and break down the barriers they keep up the rest of the year.

 

For some, this party would become an annual tradition; the Plymouth staff and volunteers becoming family.

Building assistant Michelle (at left, wearing a festive Santa beard) with Andrea, Plymouth’s director of property management (at right, in her elf hat) commented on the party saying, “It was beautiful. It was amazing. I loved it!!”

The party itself was special because of the tenants who attended. We, the staff, were merely advocates and social navigators who assisted the tenants in attending their own party.

 

 

We provided an incredible hot meal, from salad to dessert, courtesy of our long-time volunteers The Mount Baker Boys (at left). We also provided decorations; warm blankets and warm winter clothing donated by generous community members; a photo booth; cookies… but providing tenants with the ability to make new connections and friendships was by far the largest reward.

Many of our tenants struggle to connect with others due to circumstance or location; being presented with the opportunity to mingle with other, non-judging individuals, would be a life altering experience for some.

 

As you can see in the photo below, Plymouth building coordinator Gabriel had a fantastic time in the dish-pit. We found this much excitement about dishwashing to be curious. So we asked Gabriel about it.

 

He said, “This was my first time attending the holiday party, so I didn’t know what to expect before I signed up. I wanted to be part of our community for the holidays, though, especially since many of the tenants are my neighbors that I see on a daily basis.

I chose working dish pit because it was familiar, and I hold a special place in my heart for busting out dishes in a kitchen. It’s a way to contribute without having to be in front of everybody on blast. Also, it’s obviously a lot of fun. I mean, a trough of sloppy leftovers and a water hose? Yes, please.”

 

 

 

 

 

Later in the week I heard from many tenants phrases like, “what a great holiday party!”…“does that happen every year?”…and “what other events happen?”

Plymouth events help in the community-building process, both here and all around Seattle. Every tenant has a unique social and support network and through supportive events like the holiday party, I have seen tenants remain happier after the holidays, become more active in their supportive networks, and build a range of new friendships.

 

Just one of those new friendships involved gifted street violinist Pasquale Santos—familiar to so many of us who spend time downtown– who volunteered to play at the event.

We all hope to see these many smiles full of holiday cheer for many years to come!

 

 

 

Photo Credits

Virgil, Michelle & Andrea, Pasquale:  Jorge Lausell (Plymouth).

Gabriel: Shari Kooistra (Plymouth).

Mount Baker Boys, Blankets: Carmi Weingrod.