Eva, Allen, and me after Bible Study in July when my baby still fell asleep in public without eighteen sound machines.

Eva and her husband Allen have been in my life for an eternity. On the streets that translates to about eight months.

There are a lot of things I love about Eva, but probably right at the top is that she is a loving grandmother AND she's tatted up -- two things I previously thought to be mutually exclusive.

The truth is, Eva is a dear and true friend. She has been a fixture in our Bible Study and also in our little neighborhood. Eva's "clean" -- meaning she doesn't drink or do drugs. My child knows her; together, Eva and I have watched my baby change into a little girl.

Eva and Allen have been on and off the streets for five and a half years. Allen is a jewel and we love him. But Allen is one crayon short of a full box. Maybe a better way to put it is this ...

Where Eva is quick-witted, Allen is get-rich-quick. And that, quite literally, is why Eva just moved into a new apartment, and Allen just moved in into a new jail cell.

Eva has been working hard to get off the streets and into an apartment for several months. About a week ago, she finally got the keys and moved into her very own place. Yesterday, pan of lasagna in hand, we checked in on our dear friend and this is what we found:

Eva's new living room.

Eva's new bedroom and "bed."

In case you couldn't tell from the pictures, Eva has NO furniture. So our Meet the Need is furnishing this apartment.

We gotta confess: we know this Meet the Need is taking it to another level. Furnishing an apartment is a massive undertaking, and we know it will take many people from our community to make it happen.

Click here to see the list of needs and sign up for what you'd like to contribute! We have bolded the items that are most essential.

What's important to us is that you do what you can with what you have -- not that you feel the need to cash in your 401K and head to Rooms to Go.

If it's more convenient to donate funds that we can use to purchase essentials, please click here to give a tax-deductible gift.

MOVE-IN DAY: On Saturday, January 10, we will move Eva's new furniture into her apartment.

You have the option of either dropping your items off before January 10 at Elissa's home OR bringing your items to Eva's on January 10! Details to come.

Gillian, Hazel, Elissa, Eva

Hazel, Elisabeth, Eva