Update on Our Families — Working Mother with Three Children Fighting Back

Family Promise helps working homeless families with dependent children. Melissa P* and her children make up one of the families that recently received assistance from Family Promise. Melissa P is in her late thirties and her three children range in age from a toddler to 15 years. Melissa P has held a full time job for the past 5 years and worked her way up to earning $16/hour. When her husband fell upon legal trouble, Melissa P became the sole breadwinner of the family. The young mother struggled to provide basic necessities for her children, having to choose between paying rent, buying food, and putting gas in the car to get to work.

Although the children’s grandmother was watching the youngest during the day, the demands of taking care of an energetic toddler became too much for her. Now Melissa would have to pay for childcare, an additional monthly expense of anywhere from $800 to $1200. Impossible! Despite her efforts, she fell behind in rent and her family was evicted from their home. Family Promise helped Melissa’s family to stay together while providing her and her children with assistance. Family Promise helped Melissa find a safe and reputable childcare center for the toddler, and subsidized the expense while guiding her through the application process for a state subsidy making it possible for Melissa to maintain her employment. As her case manager worked with her to repair her credit and build money management skills, Melissa was also connected with the other community resources that helped her find a better paying job. With childcare in place, increased income and money management tools in hand, Melissa and her children are now in their own apartment.