SOS Community Services: Getting Families to the Other Side of Crisis

Brooke Dahlia Hill was a senior in high school when she became homeless with her 2-year-old son.

“My priority was making sure I had a full-time job and getting us off the streets into safe and secure housing,” said Brooke.

To care for her son, Brooke got her GED and started working full-time. She couch-hopped, spending a week or two in the same place and then moving with just a bag of clothes.

“We would be in sketchy environments— I remember going to sleep on the floor and having to cover my son’s ears to keep bugs from getting in,” Brooke said. “Back then I got help, I was able to lean on an agency similar to SOS Community Services.”

Now 26 years later, Brooke has a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and is currently the president of the Board of Directors at SOS Community Services. At SOS, Brooke uses her lived experience and education to help others navigate their way through similar situations.

“The biggest thing people should know is there’s another side; you’re going to come out of it and you’re going to have an amazing life,” said Brooke. “Just know that it gets better, and that goes for anybody, no matter what circumstances, things will get better.”

Answering the Call for Help

SOS Community Services helps families experiencing homelessness find permanent homes through shelter and Rapid Re-Housing. Brooke points out that SOS’s scattered site model allows families to retain the normalcy of a private home while receiving shelter.

“The best thing about the scattered site model is that children never realize they’re in shelter— they just say we have a new place, we have a home,” said Brooke. “SOS is thinking about the child’s perception, everyday thought process and safety.”

Last year, SOS served 10,398 people in Washtenaw County. SOS offers food, utility assistance, bus tokens, eviction and homelessness prevention, parenting support and early childhood intervention through a nationally recognized home visiting program.

“I love SOS so much because they are showing up for people and families,” said Brooke. “It doesn’t matter what type of family you have— it could be a single parent, a married couple or multi-generational families. You can have one kid, or you can have 7 or 8 kids.”

Hidden Homelessness in Washtenaw County

According to Washtenaw County’s Continuum of Care, there are 617 people experiencing homelessness in Washtenaw County. Most residents experiencing homelessness were families with children.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize that we have homelessness happening for families in Ann Arbor and Saline, but it is happening— it’s just unseen,” said Brooke. “Even though we live in a very affluent county, we still have families who need support.”

39.6% of Washtenaw County households are ALICE, or Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed. For two adults and two children in child care, the annual cost of living is $94,536.

As one of the most unaffordable housing markets in Michigan, the median home value is 4.3x higher than the median income in Washtenaw County. With high demand and low supply, the housing prices continue to rise 4.4% from last year.

“When you look at people visiting resource centers and food pantries, it’s not just lower income households— it’s also the middle-class needing help,” said Brooke. “The way the housing prices are working, and rents just keep going up— unfortunately the wages aren’t going up to match.”

Since 2022, United Way for Southeastern Michigan has provided $130,000 in funding to SOS through the 2022 Community Impact Fund and 2024 Washtenaw County Responsive Basic Needs grant.

“It’s important that United Way and all the different partner agencies come together and really create this wraparound support,” said Brooke. “The more people that know crisis is one missed paycheck away, the more connections and building blocks can happen.”