Diana[1] is a pregnant single mother with two children who are 9 years and 1 year old. She was in desperate need of housing assistance after two years of housing instability and homelessness.
Two years before making her call to one of our housing service provider partners, Diana was employed in the Army Reserve; when her unit was disbanded she no longer had income to support her family. They soon found themselves moving from hotel to hotel and then couch to couch. Diana got another job working at night and relying on friends or family to care for her children. During the day, Diana slept in her car so as not to be a burden to the people already caring for her children.
Homeless and pregnant, our housing partner was able to engage state emergency solutions funding for Diana to cover her housing expenses while she was on maternity leave. Diana then returned to work where her income is about $1300 monthly or $15,600 annually. It is worth noting that HUD considers annual income of $20,800 (30% below area median income) to be “extremely low income” for a family of four; Diana’s income is 25% less than this lowest HUD income category.
Diana’s struggle to stabilize her housing and financial situation continues and so does her support and case management. As her wages were recently garnished, it became clear to her case manager that she would not be able to remain housed without additional assistance. Working with AREC property managers and helping her with financial planning, our housing partner has been able to find a two-bedroom apartment for Diana, and also prevent a return to homelessness for Diana and her family.
[1] Names have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
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