Mike, a husband, father to three children and a drywall hanger, had always had a job and took pride in taking care of his family. Mike’s income allowed them to get by but did not provide any extra to save for a rainy day. Mike and his family were living paycheck to paycheck. One day, their apartment complex caught on fire and they had to move. Mike’s income coupled with bad credit from overdue medical bills led to them becoming homeless as Christmas approached. As a family of five, they were living in their old car. Mike was still going to work every day to change his family’s dire situation. Mike’s boss offered to let his sons stay at his house and his daughter stayed with her aunt.
Mike and his wife came to The Journey Home to get help. The Journey Home helped them find a place to live and assisted with the required deposits. Now they have a place to live with their kids, they are getting help to clean up their credit and Mike’s boss is letting him drive a company car.
Homelessness can have long-lasting devastating physical, emotional and psychological effects on children and their parents. Families become homeless because of a lost job, reduced work hours, or an unanticipated expense. Helping the family to stabilize by assisting with housing allows for their healing – financially, emotionally, and psychologically.