Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Robison.
Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m an Interior Designer by trade. I took time off from professional interior design work for about 10 years to raise my kids, but in 2009 when my youngest was entering kindergarten, I knew I had to reboot my interior design career. I have always been a big believer that your environment is transformative. Not only do our interiors REFLECT who we are, they INFORM who we are.
Although I felt that I needed to jump back into design professionally, with 2 kids at home, I didn’t necessarily want to work for the privileged clientele that would be so demanding of my time. As I noodled over next steps, I was influenced by several things right around the same time. 1. I heard a lecture at SMU from an executive of Habitat for Humanity and the wheels started turning..
2.I picked up a little book authored by Oprah Winfrey that advised to find what it is you are passionate about and talented at (what makes your heart beat fast) and figure out a way to give that back to your community– THAT is the secret to happiness! Finally, 3. My husband kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday… Hmmm
After some deliberation, I decided to ask my husband for the seed money to start a non-profit where I could do interiors for families struggling to escape homelessness. The Birthday Present that keeps giving!
I credit my design school chum and DwD partner Kim Turner with taking the DwD concept to the next level in the early days. After my first family move-in, she came on board and increased our support 100-fold by reaching out to the design community for support. All the time I had been raising my kids, she had been practicing interior design. She insisted the design community would embrace DwD, and she was right!
Fast-forward 8 years, and we are moving in a family every two weeks. We have just started a chapter in Atlanta, and are hoping to launch a Houston chapter in the near future.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say it has been a winding road!
Our biggest challenges have come from growing so fast. After we started fundraising, we started to hire staff and help more families. Our financial obligations began to grow as we needed warehousing, facilities, transportation and volunteer management.
Fundraising continues to be a challenge as we aim to communicate effectively that a roof over one’s head is simply not enough to inspire a thriving family life. Sometimes people may think our mission is frivolous- until you dive in deeper. Our job as a community doesn’t end with simply getting an abused mother and her children to shelter. What comes next?
After she is just getting back on her feet? When a child comes home to space with only a mattress to sleep on and no place to have a family dinner or to do homework, we are not doing all we can do to provide a path to self-sufficiency. I only wish we could help each and every family graduating from our social service agencies as I believe we can make a generational difference in the lives of families who receive our help.
Dwell with Dignity – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our mission hasn’t changed over the last 8 years. Our mission is to help families escape poverty and homelessness through design. One household at a time.
We go into an empty space and provide everything a family needs from furniture, art, draperies and kitchen supplies to bedding, linens and cleaning supplies. Our families have a fresh start that inspires the kind of living that most of us take for granted. Play dates are scheduled.
Academics improve. Family dinners become the norm and birthdays and holidays take on a whole new meaning. Most importantly, stability ensues and allows for a life that families can be proud of and thrive in.
We work with social service agencies who already have programs in place to help families start their journeys. from homelessness to self-sufficiency. These are the same agencies we rely on to nominate families who have graduated from their programs with high marks. Interfaith Housing, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Promise House and Family Place are just a few. We are moving in a family every 2 weeks now and aspire to open chapters around the country.
I am so proud of the donors who have faith in our work, our volunteers who work tirelessly to put our homes together and help us to fundraise, and our staff who continue to have the integrity, grit, and determination to help more families.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for the future always include helping more families. Of course, this means raising more funds for our work in Dallas and energizing other communities to support Dwell with Dignity’s goal to inspire lives through design. We plan to expand our chapter in Atlanta to help more families while we focus on expanding to other design-hub cities around the country.
Using your talents and passions to build on positive experiences that make you feel connected to the world and the people you love is how I would define success.
I believe that the more positive influence you have on the people who need it most ( perhaps your family, friends, and co-workers but also people in the community whom you don’t know personally) the more happy and successful you will feel.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3112 Hood Street Dallas TX 75219
- Website: www.dwellwithdignity.org
- Phone: 214-599-7974
- Email: info@dwellwithdignity.org
- Instagram: dwellwithdignity
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DwellwithDignity
- Twitter: @DwellwthDignity
Image Credit:
Lance Selgo, Dan Piassick
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