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Picture this:
It’s a totally average, completely delightful evening at home. The kids are in bed and the house is quiet. You snuggle up before the fireplace with a hot cup of cocoa, a light snack and a great movie or book. The family dog yawns and strolls over to plunk down at your feet. You sink back in your comfortable chair and reach for the remote control. Ah, what a joy at not having to think about anything at all. What a pleasure to relax and ease into sleep!
Not everyone is so lucky.
Families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless in our community. In fact, the average for a homeless person in the metro area is only nine years old! Too many mothers, fathers and children enjoy no rest at night.
They sleep in boxes, in abandoned cars, in condemned buildings. Some rotate from one emergency shelter to another to keep their children warm at night. Finding food is a full-time effort. They eat straight from cans cooked on outdoor fires, or they search for cast-offs in trash containers. If they are lucky enough to have a job, they can afford to spend money on food — only because they don’t pay rent.
Homeless families need special help.
Ruth and her 15 year-old nephew Patrick had been living in their car for more than a year. They traveled the country with no destination and no stability. Ruth’s health was poor, including high blood pressure, poor vision, poor circulation, and a weak leg from diabetes. Patrick was fed up with the lifestyle, and he had become verbally abusive to Ruth, who suffered from a bipolar depressive disorder.
It was while they were at the Micah House in Council Bluffs that our outreach worker met them. Sally is with our Pottawattamie County Homeless Link program, a collaboration of several Council Bluffs organizations that work with homeless and near-homeless people. She could see that Ruth was deeply depressed, so she arranged for her to see a therapist for professional help. The therapist soon involved Patrick as well. Then Sally directed both Ruth and Patrick to the Community Health Center for medical attention. She helped Ruth apply for social security/disability and general assistance. At the end of her stay at Micah House, Ruth was approved for rental assistance from Pottawattamie County General Assistance.
Sally helped Ruth and Patrick find an apartment they could afford, and Pat found a part-time job to help out. Now that Ruth was getting her life together, her relationship with Pat improved. Soon the disability payments came in, and together, their income just covered rent and food. But even with their meager income, Ruth and Patrick were happier and more comfortable than they had ever been before.
Throughout the next year, Sally and other PCHL outreach workers transported Ruth to several appointments for healthcare. She has had several eye surgeries due to her diabetes. Ruth is seeing a dentist and just recently received dentures. She keeps her weekly appointments with our therapist, monthly appointments with her doctors, and she sees a psychiatrist for her mental health medication.
In just one year, Ruth has gone from sleeping in a car to living a healthy and productive life. She lives in her own apartment, cooks her own food, and takes care of herself. Patrick has begun talking about community college, and Ruth is determined to help him in any way she can.
She never wants him to sleep in a car again.
(Note: Please understand that our client’s stories are deeply personal. The names and photos have been changed to protect their identity.)
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