This Mom Credits Families Together With Helping Her Find Housing And Financial Stability
When Kathleen’s relationship reached its tipping point, the police showed up and she was given 10 minutes to gather her things, take her infant son and two-year-old daughter, and leave.
“It was crazy. It was scary. I had no job, no money for a place to live, and no car. I was an emotional mess and I had no idea how I was going to survive.”
Kathleen was able to use her father’s old car and live temporarily with her Aunt and Uncle, but it was stressful. She found a minimum wage job, but she knew it would never pay enough for her to afford her own apartment.
Kathleen was referred to Families Together through a career-readiness program and received financial assistance to move into her own apartment.
“I would not have been able to have the money saved up and Families Together let me be able to give my children a home. I remember the day we moved in very well, because it was my son’s first birthday!”
Today, five years later, the children are thriving and Kathleen has moved into a supervisory role at work. “I’m in a much better place. I feel strong and happy. Having a home . . . you feel human again. Families Together helps give families hope.”
Kathleen worked with her Mentor Advocate at Families Together for a year after she signed her lease to help ensure she maintained her housing. During that time she found a better job but was laid off. Families Together stepped in to provide additional assistance until she was employed again. “This made a huge difference. It kept me from becoming homeless and it kept me moving forward.”
When her rent went up, Kathleen decided it was time to move, but this time, she was empowered, prepared, and knew what to do. “Working with Families Together, I had learned to work with landlords and be more financially savvy. I moved in with my mother for a short time, saved my money for a deposit and now we’re settled in a great home right near my children’s school.”
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 help 315 individuals secure permanent and violence-free housing this year.
