• support-info@gmail.com
  • +242 6868 8888
United Way of the Greater Triangle
  • Home
    • Engagement Opportunities
    • Donate
    • About Us
    • News
    • Impact Reports
    • Campaign Leader Resources
  • support-info@gmail.com
  • +242 6868 8888
  • Events
  • Get Help
  • Sign Up for Emails
United Way of the Greater Triangle
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Team
    • Board of Directors
  • Our Work
    • Cradle To Career
    • Equity In Leadership
      • 10 To Watch
      • Neighborhood Impact
    • Healthy Families
  • Get Involved
    • Engagement Opportunities
    • Apply for Funding
    • Coping With Community Violence
    • Become a Partner
      • Start a Workplace Campaign
      • Become a Leadership Donor
    • Corporate Awards
    • Campaign Leader Resources
    • Careers at United Way
  • News & Resources
    • News
    • Impact Reports
    • FAQs
    • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Donate

How Families Together Helped This Family Move From Gang Territory To Their Own Safe Haven

Homepage Healthy Families How Families Together Helped This Family Move From Gang Territory To Their Own Safe Haven
Healthy Families

How Families Together Helped This Family Move From Gang Territory To Their Own Safe Haven

February 4, 2020
By Joe Lavender
0 Comment
2155 Views

All Yasmine and her husband wanted for their three children was a safe and affordable place to live. But fulfilling that simple dream proved to be anything but easy. Having already left an apartment complex plagued with crime, they were disheartened by the rapidly increasing levels of gang activity at their new location.

“We were harassed by our neighbors for speaking about the problems to the property manager. Garbage was left at our front door, and groups would stand behind my car so I couldn’t back out. We even had to take turns leaving work early to get the kids safely from the bus stop to our apartment,” Yasmine remembers.

After her husband got into an altercation with gang members, Yasmine knew it was time to leave but they were only allowed to break their lease after promising not to “say bad things” about the complex. 

Without a place to live, the family moved into an extended stay motel. “It was cramped and it was expensive. We couldn’t save any money and it was hard to align our paydays with the weekly rent.” 

Their past credit history also made it hard to find another apartment, and two months later, the family was still stuck in the motel. “We tried to keep the kids’ routine as normal as possible. We’d take them to their old bus stop in the mornings and meet them in the afternoons so they could get to and from school.”

Yasmine called Social Services and was referred to Families Together. “Within a week, we had moved into a short-term apartment. That was an awesome day.”

Working with their Mentor Advocate, Yasmine’s family was able to repair their credit and move into a house outside the city. The children had to change schools, but to Yasmine, it was worth it. 

“They miss their friends but are doing well, and attend a local afterschool club. We don’t have to hide inside anymore. Finally, we feel safe.”

While living in the Short-term Apartments at Families Together, Yasmine and her family enjoyed the programs and activities for both children and adults. She points to the education aspect of the program as being the most helpful. “What I learned about budgeting and working with landlords . . . that really could have helped me in the past.”

Yasmine describes the experience of homelessness as pressure-filled. “It is stressful wondering how you’re going to get through the day, how you’re going to pay for the motel. As a parent, what you want for your children is for them to be warm, fed, safe, and have a place to sleep.”  

Moving her family into a private three-bedroom apartment, even though it was temporary, was a welcome respite. “It was good to be out of the tight space and to be living around others who were in the same situation. Everyone we worked with at Families Together was great and willing to help.”

Families Together is on a mission to help families in Wake and surrounding counties from homelessness to stable homes through mentoring, housing support and connection to community resources. Thanks in part to a $150,000 grant from United Way of the Greater Triangle, the organization expects to enroll 220 individuals in an educational program and/or help them find employment this year.


Related Articles

Durham Habitat Uses United Way Grant To Expand Financial Literacy Initiatives

Kyle and Labesha began the process of purchasing their first...

Coastal Credit Union Foundation Helps Raise $1M+ For Housing Accessibility

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_single_image image="10940" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_column_text]Big challenges, like affordable housing,...

About Us

Staff
Board Of Directors
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Financial Reports

Our Work

Cradle To Career
Healthy Families
Equity in Leadership
Annual & Impact Reports

Get Involved

Apply For Funding
Become a Partner
Campaign Leader Resources
Careers at United Way

Contact Us

Address
800 Park Offices Drive Suite 204 Durham, NC 27709
Phone Number
919-460-8687
Copyright ©2019 Bearsthemes. All Rights Reserved
SearchPostsLogin
Tuesday, 3, Jan
Durham Habitat Uses United Way Grant To Expand Financial Literacy Initiatives
Thursday, 17, Nov
Diaper Bank of North Carolina Among 7 Organizations To Receive First-Ever Federal Funding For Diaper Distribution
Tuesday, 1, Nov
Rock ‘N’ Recovery
Tuesday, 1, Nov
Band Together and United Way of the Greater Triangle’s Mighty Giveback Concert Raises $1,008,723 to Support Affordable Housing
Friday, 9, Sep
Coastal Credit Union Foundation Helps Raise $1M+ For Housing Accessibility
Tuesday, 5, Jul
United Way & Live Well Wake Award $1M To 5 Wake County Nonprofits Addressing Systemic Barriers That Increase COVID-19 Risks In Communities Of Color

Welcome back,