Tenant Story - Mr. Dependable, back where he belongs
Dale happy to be back home after a tough couple of months
If you keep up with our social media posts, you’ll recognize Mr. Dependable as a regular fixture in the day-to-day functions of A Tiny Home for Good. Mr. Dependable is Dale Spicer; tenant, groundskeeper, and the all-around tenacious soul of this organization.
Dale first connected with A Tiny Home for Good when he started showing up to help build the house he was going to move into and continued to dedicate himself to being helpful in any way he could after. As his nickname suggests, he is utterly dependable and always ready to lend a hand especially for the most arduous of tasks.
We need to shovel 5 yards of gravel through a basement window? Dale’s there. We need to side a house and it’s 20 degrees outside? Sign Dale up.
He has grit in spades and could be defined by the mantra “No pain, no gain.”
Well, to our dismay, the last month and a half of 2021 brought Dale a lot of pain.
Dale fell ill and found himself in the hospital for the better part of a month. After some touch and go moments, the doctors figured out the right mix of medicine to get Dale back on track, but it took weeks of treatment followed by several weeks of rehab before he was allowed to come home.
Thanks to a team committed to Dale’s long-term aftercare support and the dedication of our staff, A Tiny Home for Good is thrilled and relieved to be able to welcome Dale back to his own refreshed space, ready for whatever this next chapter in his life brings.
This is no small thing.
Since its inception, A Tiny Home for Good has always employed a certain amount of flexibility to be able to house some of the city’s most vulnerable. On paper, we’re a landlord offering inexpensive, dignified housing to those in need. But this organization has always been so much more.
Founder and Executive Director Andrew Lunetta realized very early on that it’s not enough to simply provide shelter. Those facing homelessness are often lacking the care and support of family and friends, suffering from mental illness, and/or unable to hold down steady employment. A Tiny Home for Good puts tenants first and tries to meet them where they are. This might mean regular check-ins, arranging for cleaning help, transportation to doctors’ appointments, or possible employment within the organization when skills, interest, and need align.
In Dale’s case, it was the latter. He entrenched himself in the organization and it was because of his involvement and friendship with Andrew that we were even aware enough to get Dale to a doctor before it was too late.
This is definitely not your average landlord-tenant situation.
A Tiny Home for Good gave Dale community, purpose, friendship, and home when he didn’t have any and can continue to meet his evolving needs thanks to this special community we’ve built.