To our dear Catalyst community

What a time to be in this world, in this country, in this state.  We are thinking of you all and hoping you are as well as can be. 
From a hot water leak under the basement bathroom floor that was undiscovered for two months, to holes in the roof, to an adjacent tree falling on the house and MORE, 2019 was a year with an uncommon number of mishaps at Catalyst. 
As 2019 was a year of upheaval, 2020 has been a year of healing, even amidst the extraordinary circumstances that COVID-19 and increasing awareness of racial justice has brought. 2020 has been a year of big changes. Pursuant to two of our original families moving on to permanent housing in 2019, some refurbishment was accomplished in one of the units and Catalyst provided temporary housing to a family with three young children so they could improve their housing record to make future permanent housing more accessible.  Since they moved on, we have welcomed a new small family to one unit of Catalyst, while the other remains occupied by one of our original families. This makes two adults and seven kids at Catalyst, ranging in age from almost six months to 13 years. 

COVID-19 has certainly wreaked its havoc here at Catalyst, as it undoubtedly has in many of your lives, both in illness and in the societal repercussions- employment struggles, no paid sick leave for high risk positions, kids home from school, etc. 
In the midst of it all, the big kids are plugging away at online school, and the little ones have maintained enrollment at a family child care in Madison, offering them care with less risk as they are not in a large center setting. The playground donation from Tracy & Jack Koziol several years ago has been a lifesaver, too, giving the kids a safe outdoor setting to get some energy out. 

We are maintaining contact with families as best we can, dropping off care packages, texting and using FaceTime for meetings. Thank you for your support, and for keeping in touch.
Best wishes to you all.