{"id":10737,"date":"2014-07-31T05:00:30","date_gmt":"2014-07-31T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=10737"},"modified":"2020-12-24T02:41:46","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T10:41:46","slug":"the-main-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/the-main-place\/","title":{"rendered":"The Main Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

The needs of our neighbors aren\u2019t always evident.\u00a0 When Sharon Johnston served as the president of Irving Women\u2019s Network (IWN) from 2004-2006, the organization was shocked to discover that there were over 1,000 homeless teenagers in their town.<\/p>\n

Johnston immediately called the \u00a0school district\u2019s homeless liaison to figure out how such a need could be overlooked. \u201cI discovered that most of them were couch surfing or \u00a0doubling up \u2013 multiple families living in one small home or apartment,\u201d says Johnston. While many families avoid life on the streets, they are still unable to make ends meet. Among other things, the growing children lack adequate clothing. \u00a0\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

Johnston, a resourceful leader, quickly gathered a budget from IWN and purchased one hundred pairs of jeans, one hundred T-Shirts and one hundred hoodies. \u201cThat\u2019s the unisex thing that everyone is wearing, kind of a uniform for teens,\u201d Johnston laughs. She contacted Project PASS and had the clothing distributed to local teens. A similar system continued for several years.<\/p>\n

In 2009, Johnston joined forces with four other women to form Advocates for Homeless Teens.\u00a0Through a triad partnership with IWN, Stein Mart- Las Colinas and Dignity U Wear (a national charity founded by an Auschwitz survivor) they received 16 commercial-sized boxes of clothing but they had no place to store or distribute the apparel.<\/p>\n

The fledgling organization rallied support from local leaders, getting their major breakthrough with the Mayor.\u00a0Johnston would have been happy with a climate controlled storage unit but through the Mayor\u2019s connections she was given access to a 6,090 square-foot building that was formerly an antiques mall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a hot mess,\u201d Johnston admits. The hole-pocked walls were covered in multicolored paint, capped off with a retro border. AllState Insurance Corporate office supplied 45 volunteers on Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and began the process of beautifying the premises.<\/p>\n

The community\u2019s efforts, which included IWN, Stein Mart, IFD, VHA, IBC, and local contractors, produced The Main Place. This spacious facility complete with luxury finishes, high end store fixtures, storage, office space, and a boutique-inspired storefront was accomplished at no cost. Through this setup, Johnston and her team could be more than clothing distributors. They could engage with the teens and give them superstar treatment.<\/p>\n

Youth make an appointment to visit the store with a referral from a social service agency, school counselor or Project PASS. Once they arrive, teens are given a personalized shopping experience complete with a fashion consultant and a local tailor who volunteers to make alterations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t say, \u2018Here\u2019s a black skirt. You\u2019re done.\u2019 And they have nothing to wear with it. We do whole outfits: bras, panties, tops, bottoms, pantyhose, shoes, socks, jewelry, jackets, etc. Everyone leaves with at least two outfits and sometimes an entire wardrobe, depending on the need,\u201d Johnston says.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a> If the teen doesn\u2019t feel amazing right away, helpers rush back to the racks for new options. Each session is filled with sincere compliments and edifying feedback. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to engage with them, build their self-esteem, build their confidence by giving them trendy, well-fitting clothes,\u201d says Johnston.<\/p>\n

In addition to daily wardrobe, The Main Place helps teens get ready for important events such as prom, homecoming, and job interviews. \u201cWe\u2019re letting them fit in where they thought they couldn\u2019t and go places they thought they couldn\u2019t go without financial worries,\u201d says Johnston.<\/p>\n

Last year, Johnston received The Texas State Board of Education Heroes for Children Award for her work with The Main Place. \u201cI am very excited about this as it shines a spotlight on the invisible tragedy of homelessness in our schools and shows that there are things that can be and are being done to help the kids,\u201d says Johnston. \u201cWe have great team leaders and a significant number of passionate and capable volunteers we rely on to help us serve and be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Yardi<\/a>\u2019s generous gift, The Main Place was able to pay utilities and broaden community outreach. “Yardi\u2019s donation helped us touch the lives of over 5000 in our community, 1000\u2019s in Texas, and 1000\u2019s more in Oklahoma, Russia and the Philippines,” says Johnston.<\/p>\n

Though The Main Place \u00a0receives clothing donations and volunteered staff, the organization continually needs support for utilities, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and shipping expenses.\u00a0\u00a0To do your part in the fight against homelessness in Irving, make a donation<\/a> or sign up for one of many volunteer<\/a> events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The needs of our neighbors aren\u2019t always evident.\u00a0 When Sharon Johnston served as the president of Irving Women\u2019s Network (IWN) from 2004-2006, the organization was shocked to discover that there were over 1,000 homeless teenagers in their town. Johnston immediately called the \u00a0school district\u2019s homeless liaison to figure out how such a need could be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":10738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1717,5,3354],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-10737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-people","category-team-yardi","tag-yardi-corporate-philanthropy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The needs of our neighbors aren\u2019t always evident.\u00a0 When Sharon Johnston served as the president of Irving Women\u2019s Network (IWN) from 2004-2006, the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Main Place\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The needs of our neighbors aren\u2019t always evident.\u00a0 When Sharon Johnston served as the president of Irving Women\u2019s Network (IWN) from 2004-2006, the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/the-main-place\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-31T12:00:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-24T10:41:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/05\/the-main-place-ymca-shoot.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erica Rasc\u00f3n\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erica Rasc\u00f3n\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/the-main-place\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/the-main-place\/\",\"name\":\"The Main Place - 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