Our Transitional Housing Families:
This story is about a Single mom and her three children who lived in Roswell, New Mexico, from 2013 to 2021. She struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for 14 years. As a functional addict, she was able to keep this from her family. During this time, she was sharing a home with one of her sisters and planning on buying a house together. However, that plan did not work for this mom. Her family discovered her addiction. She was asked to move out and lost custody of her children. She did so as of February 2021 and entered a Rehabilitation program. She completed the program in March of 2021 and relocated to Seattle, WA, to start a new life. This helped her turn her life around and reunite with her children.
She had an older sister who lived in Seattle who agreed to allow her to stay until she could get back on her feet. Unfortunately, this did not work out due to her sister dealing with her own mental health challenges. Again, she was subjected to having to move. Her sister did not want her and her children to continue to live with her.
This prompted her to call 211, placing her at YWCA Willow Shelter. However, she and her family relocated to another shelter due to a bad experience.
Once relocated to YWCA Phillis Shelter on Cherry Street in July of 2021, she gained employment with ABM Industries in the Janitorial department. After working there for one year, she regained custody of her children and registered them in the Seattle School System. She has two children in preschool and an older child who was unable to attend school due to her depression. The child also refused to go to school at that time. This forced her to quit her full-time employment because of transportation issues, such as having to take her kids to and from school.
She found a part-time job through the DSHS work connection internship program with the YWCA, which put her on the pathway to becoming a Full-Time employee as a Crisis Advocate.
She was able to stay at the YWCA Shelter for up to two years due to COVID. While exiting YWCA, her case manager referred her to our First Place Transitional Housing Program. The First-Place housing program has assisted this family to become stable with a home and school. Allowing this family to gain stability and the structure of a pathway to success.
She commends First Place Housing Staff for ensuring that she is connected with opportunities, provisions, and support that her family needs. The First Place Housing Staff provides advocacy and case management services on many levels.
This Family has secured a Three-bedroom unit in the Seattle area and will move into permanent housing in February 2024.