NOV 21 2021
James and Celi Birke, a brother and sister Canopy housing team, started their journey with a deep connection to a home and a desire to provide a warm welcome where it was needed – little did they know they would make dear friends and be welcomed, themselves, in the process.
We had the honor of sitting down with the Birkes to hear about their story and why, without having been previously involved with Canopy, they decided to provide housing to a family who fled from violence to find safety in our community. A Canopy social media post led the Birkes to make a move that would greatly impact one family’s life, and in turn, transform their own.
Compassion in the Wake of Pain
The siblings had recently purchased the house next door to their childhood home – one they had inherited after the painful loss of both parents just a few years prior. James and Celi spoke fondly of their mother and father, whose kind and caring nature undeniably played a significant role in the decision to support a Canopy family. After experiencing such a significant loss, they wanted to carry on the legacy of kindness and do something their parents would have done if they were still with them. When the two purchased the home from their brother who was living in it at the time, they were planning to rent it out, specifically to someone who would cherish the home in a way they had seen their family do before them.
After experiencing such a significant loss, they wanted to carry on the legacy of kindness & do something their parents would have done.
Preparation to be landlords for the first time in addition to finding renters was a slow progression. When they saw that Canopy was looking for homes for incoming families fleeing danger, the Birkes knew this was what they had been waiting for – and didn’t wait another moment.
Affordable housing across the country, including in Northwest Arkansas, has felt next to impossible to locate for so many – “we’re very lucky to own two properties right now – this is our childhood home. [We know] Mom and Dad would have moved out to make room for somebody else. If they were still here, mom would drag dad out and say, ‘alright we’re living in a van down by the river – we’ve gotta make sure this house goes to somebody who needs it’” James and Celi shared together, proudly recalling the compassion of their parents they now tangibly emulate.
Support From All Around
For the Birkes, their Canopy housing journey happened fast. Within just a few days of reaching out to Canopy with an available house, volunteers arrived to help clean, move furniture and Welcome Kits in, mow the lawn, and prepare for a soon arriving family to start building a new life in this home. “They took care of everything, honestly”, James mentioned, noting their surprise when all they had to do was a few maintenance projects such as fixing a broken dishwasher and replacing the water heater. When they first decided to offer their space to a Canopy family, they were concerned about having to do all of the preparation alone. They quickly found that “Canopy makes it so easy to do – there were a few complicated things like language barriers, not knowing what [the experience] is going to be like or who was coming, or even a little stressful because it was all happening so fast, but Lemine [a Canopy Case Manager] made it so easy and was super helpful for us. He really took the burden – we felt a burden that maybe was not actually ours – he was super clear that we had already done enough, that we were just one wing of a massive support system, and that was the biggest lightbulb moment [to know] there are so many people helping”.
Life Together
As first time landlords, James and Celi had nothing but positive things to say about their experience so far with the family who now calls the house home. Both they and the family have been mutually learning about their new experiences alongside each other. The Birkes have slowly learned about all that comes with being a landlord: maintenance, paperwork, and making their space a comfortable home for their new neighbors. The new family has been patient and gracious in the meantime, and even has taught the Birkes that it is okay and even enjoyable to work through these things together. They often get to help the family with little things like finding Arabic channels on TV, chatting about the U.S. mail system, and setting up an Amazon Fire TV Stick. The small ways that they are able to help feels natural, “it feels a lot like friendship” Celi said.
“Welcoming” is the most common word the Birkes used to describe the family who have become fast friends, “they are the best hosts… it feels like we are the ones receiving so much” James said. They spoke affectionately of the simple nature of being next door, in the truest sense of being a neighbor, with the ability to invite each other over for dinner or coffee and tea or to help out with the little things that come up in daily life, just as they would with their brother who lived there before. Since the moment they arrived, the family has shared food and drinks, laughs, and invited the Birkes into everyday moments. Even the very first night the family arrived, after days of travel, they invited James and Celi over for dinner and since then, their relationship continues to grow.
“…connection is not defined by language.”
The Birkes are enthralled by the welcoming, communal nature of their new friends’ family dynamic and culture and have pondered the idea of what it might look like if their own community embraced aspects of this collective lifestyle. In discussing this way of living together, a way that feels very different from the culture they had grown up in, James said, “it’s almost hard to get used to, [yet] feels more natural than anything else”. Celi added, “… and we haven’t even talked about the fact that we don’t speak the same language, and it doesn’t matter – connection is not defined by language”. The pair shared just how much their experience, communicating through translation apps that often don’t come close to the intended meaning and “fumbling through [what either are] trying to communicate” on daily basis has created a deep connection as they both make an active effort to understand and care for the other. The two continued, highlighting how they feel a deeper connection here than with many who speak the same language yet don’t make intentional effort to connect – this effort is what the two have found to be the difference. In this relationship, when language is a barrier, “you don’t halfway listen – you’re one hundred percent there”, James noted. Context and body language is a key piece of building relationships cross-linguistically – the two laughed as they mentioned how “you get the jokes, even though you have no idea what the words were, you understand what it was about and that it was hilarious – it makes you feel lighter, I guess, [without] the burden of words. It’s a deeper level”.
Kismet
The siblings noted striking similarities between themselves and the sets of siblings within the family living next door. “Whatever country you’re from, you’re a brother and a sister, through and through” James laughed. “I think part of the reason why we connected with them so quickly is [because] we’re brother and sister, and there are three sets of siblings who are similar in age – that’s why the dynamic is so easy to read – it just feels like magic” Celi said. “I hadn’t thought about [it before], but that makes sense… it’s all a very familiar space that we’ve occupied our whole lives… and my thinking has grown [and] deepened”. Celi mentioned she sometimes uses the word “Kismet”, a Yiddish term her mom would use to describe fate or destiny, to describe this experience for her and James. Their relationship with their new friends feels like destiny in the way that they found their new renters, have developed a deep, lasting connection with them, and have learned and grown from the warm welcome and kindness the family has shown the Birkes from the beginning.
A Community Impact
In addition to the Birkes, the family has a major support system within our incredible NWA community. Just in the amount of time it took to do our interview, next door there were two different groups who stopped by the family’s home to bring food and treats and drop off the kids. “People come by all the time!” they added with pride for the community on their faces. The family has also been able to get connected with the local Mosque which has given them a sense of home here, in a place far away from the country they’ve called home all their lives.
“It just feels so good, it feels so good, I don’t even know how else to put it” Celi said, when asked what they would tell others about their experience. “And it would feel good even if we didn’t have this close bond with [the family]. People keep saying we’re doing a great job but really, it doesn’t feel like we’re doing anything at all – it’s just a very real sense of family.” “Honestly, I would just encourage anyone to do [this], really, it sounds advertise-y but has really just been a great experience” James added.
Their goal is to expand the amazing work they are already doing for NWA’s new neighbors. James and Celi discussed many scenarios that they had given thought to in recent months on how they can further provide housing and welcome refugee families. Not only do they want to rent out their second home, but their own childhood home as well along with talk of additional properties. Canopy is deeply grateful for all of the time and resources James and Celi devoted to be able to provide a safe home for our new neighbors and for the kindness and compassion they have shown as they help us build a community where refugees are welcomed and equipped with all they need to build new lives.
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