For nearly 40 years, COTS has been committed to serving the most vulnerable members of the Detroit community by providing emergency shelter, affordable housing and more. We are on a mission to create opportunities for families who are overcoming poverty to collaborate, thrive and succeed in building strong and stable households, neighborhoods and communities.
COTS provides housing and support to nearly 1,000 people daily —and more than 60 percent of those served are children. Our Programs include family-only emergency shelter for families; supportive housing with assistance for addiction, disability or illness; affordable housing; and children’s services such as learning labs to support academic success, drop-in childcare to help working parents, and child development services for families experiencing homelessness.
With the realization of poverty as the driver of homelessness and our need to address it came our theory of change for disrupting generational poverty. COTS focus is now exclusively on engaging families to develop economic self-sufficiency and stabilized environments to create a multi-generational impact and ultimately break the cycle of poverty. This innovative approach is called Passport to Self-Sufficiency™. Passport to Self- Sufficiency™ (PTS) is COTS poverty reduction and alleviation framework used across all programs and projects in the organization. Using a two-generation, whole-family approach, we partner with families who are currently or at risk of experiencing homelessness to provide long-term services that are person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed.
COTS Passport to Self-Sufficiency™ (PTS) assists families in reaching their housing, economic, health, education and career goals through coaching, mentorship and support, as they overcome homelessness and break the poverty cycle for the next generation — and beyond. This trauma-informed, research -based, transformative, whole family approach is designed to create poverty-resistant families and is the overarching framework for all our work and all our programs and services are provided within the framework of this theory of change.
All of our work is done through a lens of intergenerational mobility. Knowing generational poverty is often at the root of cyclical poverty, it is imperative to support, coach, and offer resources to not only the heads of households (parents) but to their children as well. To this end, COTS uses a whole-family approach, providing mobility coaching not only to parents but also to their children.
We provide services through a network of partnerships aimed at building healthy relationships, which support the mutual growth and development of the whole family, while also supporting families in meeting their basic needs, as well as their households’ needs. Partners are critical to these services and are the heart and soul of all that we do.
“It takes a village to raise a child.” – African Proverb
Everyone plays a part in the success of children in our communities. Consider partnering with COTS as we partner with families on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency. Visit us at cotsdetroit.org to learn more or to make a gift today. Together, we can help to break the cycle of poverty for families and “Create Opportunities To Succeed!”
We know that there are many amazing charities that are deserving of your generosity. As you consider year-end giving, please consider partnering with COTS to build better futures. Know that the investment you make has long-lasting impact on families and changes the trajectory for their children.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” – Dalai Lama
Visit cotsdetroit.org to Create Opportunities To Succeed!
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