Life & Work with April Alford-Barclay

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Alford-Barclay.

April, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
When I was six years old, my mom moved to Jersey City, NJ. In April of 1978, our home burned to the ground, and we lost everything. My grandmother passed away two weeks later. My mom wanted to start life fresh, so we moved to Jersey. My mom’s older sister had lived there before, and she loved it. A few months after the move, we became homeless. This would last for a year and a half. We lived on the street at times and other times with friends of my mom. During the time that we were homeless, my mom had a friend who really helped us out. I would say that she is the catalyst for me starting Welcome Home Dayton. She taught me that there are people in this world who will help you when you’re at your lowest point. I made a vow to my six-year-old self that when I became an adult, I would give back to my community in any way that I could. 

In 2017 I partnered with Homefull, and I furnished and decorated an apartment in their units on Helena. I did a Go Fund Me campaign, and when that money ran out, I used my own money to complete the project. I received a lot of positive feedback when I posted pictures of that unit. 

I realized that I had found my passion, and Welcome Home Dayton was created. 

I reached out to gather board members and found that quite a few people were excited about my plan. 

Over the years, we have been working to obtain funding to help us further our mission. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road. Funding and warehouse/storage space have been one of our biggest obstacles. We have five board members, but none of them have grant writing experience. We have been trying to get a grant writer for years but have not been successful. 

So, we have been doing fundraisers to get money for each project, but we don’t see that being sustainable over long periods of time. 

As far as storage, we have a 10×10 unit, which is completely full. We get calls and emails from people who want to donate, but we can’t take any items because we do not have space for them. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am Chief Administrator at the Montgomery County Board of Elections. On the side, I run an Etsy shop, and I also run Welcome Home Dayton. 

Welcome Home Dayton furnishes and decorates home for people who are transitioning from homelessness. 

I am most proud of the fact that I started this nonprofit from scratch. It was never on my radar, but I am so happy that I listened to my heart. We have helped many families who did not know how they would furnish their homes. 

There are agencies who give a few items when they are working with the transitioning homeless community, but we furnish their entire space, and we decorate it to make it a welcoming environment for them. I believe this is the thing that sets us apart. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
To work with us, they can go to our website at www.Welcomehomedayton.org. As far as collaboration/support, we would live it if we could find a grant writer and someone who has warehouse space that they would either like to donate or rent to us for a small fee. I am thinking big on this one. 😁 We need those two things most in order to continue to fulfill our mission and purpose. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Welcomehomedayton.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/welcomehomedayton
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Welcomehomedayton
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/Welcomehomedyt
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@welcomehomedayton