Synod Assembly 2022 | Pre-Assembly Workshop : Mission at the Eastward: Toward Eradicating Poverty Through Innovative Solutions for Housing Insecurity

Workshop Description

Mission at the Eastward’s (MATE) mission is to love our neighbors through volunteer home repairs, transitional housing, and youth outreach to create lives of hope, security, and dignity in Central Western Maine.  Of the households we serve, 85% have income of less than $20,000 per year.  Many households are dealing with devastating effects of unemployment, addiction, family unrest, lack of healthcare, and food and housing insecurity, leaving youth and children vulnerable.  MATE meets the basic human need for shelter through our volunteer home repair work, McCleary House for transitional housing, and our newest project, a tiny house buildout.  MATE partners with individuals, churches, judicatories, civic organizations and foundations to provide innovative solutions to the housing insecurity crisis.  In this workshop, you will learn about MATE’s history and innovative work, how identifying community needs and establishing collaborative partnerships are the key to success and how making hard decisions and being willing to take risks even in these tenuous times can bring about organizational transformation and build lives.

Presenter

Christopher DeLisle

Chris grew up in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine and graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington.  After college, Chris moved to Florence, Italy, where he led American study abroad students on trips to iconic destinations around Europe. Upon returning to the U.S., Chris served as the Strategic Content Director at Maine Huts & Trails, a nonprofit trail and ecolodge system that provides inviting backcountry experiences in Maine's Western Mountains. This past August Chris was blessed with the opportunity to become the new Executive Director of MATE.  He looks forward to advancing the mission of MATE and growing the organization, increasing youth engagement and participation, and to create lives of hope, security and dignity in Central Western Maine.

Sharon Cowen

Sharon lives in Bedford, NH. with her husband Larry and is a member of Bedford Presbyterian Church. She moved to Bedford in 1998 from Cincinnati after growing up and attending college in Columbus, Ohio. Sharon retired from University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension in 2018 after 15 years as Field Specialist in Community Development and adult educator in parenting and financial education. Previously she worked in market research. Sharon participated in several recovery teams with BPC after hurricanes in New Orleans and Puerto Rico and believes strongly in MATE’s focus on supporting the housing needs of individuals, families and communities.