Local Resident Protects a United Effort Client’s Piano!

After losing her rental cottage, a United Effort client needed help finding shelter not only for herself but also for her most prized possession and memory from her parents: A Grand Piano!  

“This was a new challenge for us!” said Claire, a founding volunteer at the United Effort. “While our first priority is finding safe housing for our unhoused clients, we understood how important her piano was to her and desperately wanted to help find proper storage for it. We reached out to the community, and a United Effort donor/volunteer forwarded our message to a neighbor in Mountain View. That’s when Lisa stepped forward!”

Lisa, a wife, and mother of two, said “When I learned that an unhoused person needed a place for her piano, I just had to help. In my experience, when I help others, I’m also helping myself and my community!  We all face challenges, and I just know that, deep down, there is little difference between me and those who find themselves homeless. I also wanted to show my own kids that there are many ways, sometimes unusual, to help. I often tell them that if an issue is too big - like solving homelessness - just start in small ways. I learned more about the United Effort, and their client’s need to keep her piano, and we were happy to offer the space in our home, until she is able to take her piano back!”

Wei, a volunteer at the United Effort, emphasizes “There are many ways to help our unhoused friends, and it truly is a united effort! It is the generosity of families in our community, like Lisa’s, that strengthens the United Effort to help chip away at homelessness.”