Southfield resident aims to help people transitioning from homelessness

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield resident Shana White is picking up the pieces, one home makeover at a time. After facing homelessness herself as a single mother in the city of Southfield, White made a vow that she would give back to the community after she found stable living conditions.

“We were here in Southfield, and I just fell on hard times,” White said.

She explained that she didn’t have any family that she could go to for help while she and her 5-year-old son slept in the car and looked for homeless shelters in the area to stay in.

White is passionate about keeping people in Southfield and bringing more resources to those who are struggling in the community. Drawing on her personal experience, she said, “I wanted to be in Southfield, but we don’t have the resources.”

White did not want to leave to go to Pontiac or Detroit for resources because she loved Southfield, especially the Southfield Public Schools system.

“I didn’t want to go to Detroit and Pontiac was too far,” she said.” I wanted the best education, and I know that it was right here.”

She said, “I finally got into, which is no longer existent in the Southfield area, but with South Oakland Shelter, and that was right there on 12 Mile.”

White added that, “It no longer exists here in the Southfield area. And so we went in, and we had our car, and I tried to make it as seamless as possible for him so that he didn’t know exactly what was happening. But, you know, I needed help.”

White said that she and her son weren’t homeless for long because she had a plan and was strategic.

“So we got our home, and I was like, ‘This is still not what this is supposed to look like,’ because when I went in there, it was still empty,” she said.

White explained that even though she and her son had shelter and things like a stove and refrigerator, they were still sleeping on the floor, and her son was doing his homework on the floor.

“So once I transitioned, I vowed that I would come back to the community right here in Southfield and bring other people through that other half because a lot of people don’t realize that it’s another half to that after getting that home,” White said.

She explained that the other half is making a space a home by filling the space with everyday essentials that people often take for granted, such as a desk for a child to do homework, a bed to sleep in at night and a trash can.

Years later, she is honoring her vow through her nonprofit, Picking Up The Pieces, which was founded on her birthday — June 23, in 2023.

Picking Up The Pieces is a nonprofit organisation that aims to keep people in Southfield by providing families who are transitioning from homelessness into housing the stability they need to thrive by filling empty spaces with gently-used and donated household essentials.

White explained the message behind her logo, which is a house made up of puzzle pieces held by a hand.

“It’s actually puzzle pieces, and it has a small little heart at the bottom,” she said. “It’s a hand at the bottom, but that was intentional because I want people to know when they see that logo, those are the pieces that me and my team will put together to create your home, to know that you are loved, your children are loved, and we are here for you.”

Jessica Burrell is one of the clients who recently received a home makeover from Picking Up The Pieces.

“I have six children and we were homeless,” Burrell said. “I finally ended up getting an apartment. It was a one-bedroom and we didn’t have anything. I ended up signing up for Picking Up The Pieces.”

Burrell said she was in tears when she saw the finished product.

“I couldn’t believe that she actually turned a one-bedroom apartment into something comfortable for all of us,” she said.

She added that her children were excited to have a TV and a table where they could sit down to eat.

Burrell expressed her gratitude for the home makeover.

“It made me feel relieved,” she said. “I was less stressed. It was a wonderful feeling.”

White said, “It’s a full-circle thing because we want these people to thrive, but more importantly, I want them to thrive right here in Southfield. I want them to know Southfield has their back.”

For more information about Picking Up The Pieces, or to donate gently-used items, visit pickingupdetroit.org or call (248) 238-8587.