How the MID Housing Assistance Program Helps Transform Ambassadors’ Lives

With probation, an ankle monitor and legal troubles behind him, Clean Team ambassador John decided to become the manager at the halfway house where he lived. After his fifth stint in prison, this role, along with his MID position, provided much-needed structure to his life.

But as time passed, John was ready to move on from the halfway house. He wanted his own place. But with a suboptimal credit score and limited references, he knew that would be improbable.

“I wanted a change,” John said. “I needed a change.”

That’s when he approached DSA/MID Ambassador Resource Specialist Michael Florez, who recognized John as a suitable candidate for the MID’s housing assistance program. John was set up in an apartment at the Josephinum downtown — a property managed by Catholic Housing Services. The MID covered his first and last month’s rent, as well as the security deposit.

The program is designed to support ambassadors who are excelling in their roles, showing commitment and demonstrating the willingness to grow within the organization. Candidates are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and support sometimes includes loans to help team members stay on track.

Since its inception in October 2018, the program has helped dozens of ambassadors find stable housing. In addition to covering housing costs, the MID has also assisted with diversion funds, which allows team members to catch up on rent so they won’t become unhoused.

“When I got the keys, I got on my knees and thanked God,” John said. “Without the MID, this wouldn’t have happened so fast. Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you and take a chance on you.”

Cherie, a supervisor who joined the MID in November 2022, has a similar story of transformation after hitting “rock bottom.”

After battling addiction, Cherie turned her life around by entering a rehabilitation program in Yakima. When she graduated, she was unhoused, so she entered a privately funded shelter in Shoreline.

While working a part-time job, Cherie heard about the MID and “went for it.” Within two months of becoming an ambassador, she successfully interviewed for an assistant supervisor role. Three months later, she became a supervisor.

“I have truly grown as a person and am fulfilling my life goals,” Cherie said. “Our organization being a second-chance company allows for people to learn there is a better way to live and make money by getting down and dirty and cleaning our city. We make a difference every day and that is very satisfying.”

In the fall of 2023, Cherie told Florez she had some money saved, but the overall cost of living and moving was preventing her from finding her own home. She found an apartment downtown, and with the assistance of the MID, she was soon able to move.

“I am super proud to be back on my own, depending on myself and no one else,” Cherie said. “The support, feedback and coaching from my director Steve and senior manager Joe have absolutely inspired me to keep my head up and be positive.

“I feel like a real person now — not just a woman who lost herself, but independent and stronger than I ever thought I could be. My three kids are grown and face challenges, and now I can speak to them with encouragement and teach them things I have learned from and try to keep them focused on a brighter future. Goals are reachable no matter what you have been through.”

John and Cherie are prime examples of the power of second chances. Both take pride in their roles and being part of the MID team. As John walks throughout the streets of downtown, he speaks with virtually every person he sees, whether they’re unhoused or “wearing a $1,000 suit.”

He often compliments people’s shoes, hair, suit, clothes or simply offers a “have a great day!”

“Everyone you walk by is going through something you know nothing about, so be the reason they smile,” said John, a pastor in his spare time.

As he approached his apartment, John reflected on his past, when he was “a career criminal just trying to survive” growing up in Tacoma. He moved out at just 15 years old after having a son. Now, 31 years later, the affable downtown ambassador points to his new home on Second Avenue and smiles.

“This company and this job is such a blessing,” he said. “They not only gave me a home, they gave me a community. The MID has been so good to us and shows us a different side to life. It makes us want to be better. The MID believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. It’s a family.”