When Latoya came to Haven House, she had no other choice to keep her family together: no other local shelter would allow her 16 year old son to stay together with her and her daughter. The crisis began suddenly.
Flames leapt quickly from the wiring to the curtains. Before long Latoya’s home was engulfed. Everyone was safe—for now. But Latoya’s home had been completely destroyed by the fire. At the time, she was working two part-time jobs and was keeping up with rent and bills, but had not been able to build up any savings. To keep her family together and safely sheltered, Latoya had only one option: Haven House is the lonely local shelter that will not split up a teenage boy and his mom.
Latoya, her teen son and young daughter came to Haven House with little more than the clothes on their backs. But she was determined to make the most of her time in shelter. With your help, in less than three weeks Latoya was able to secure a new rental. At Haven House she worked on not only saving up for a new rental, but also identified and sought additional resources to supplement her wages.
When Latoya and her family reached their new home, it was unfurnished. But thanks to Haven House donors like you, she now has proper beds for herself and the kids. Since reaching their new home, Latoya’s family has received a visit from our staff each month. As part of this Partners in Progress follow-up program, you helped Latoya with basic needs like supplies for house-cleaning and hygiene, and guidance with financial planning.
Latoya successfully maintains both jobs and closely follows the monthly budget she has figured out thanks to the budgeting skills you’ve provided. Any of her free time lately has been spent working on securing her GED, which she hopes to earn by next year. You kept Latoya’s family together and helped them through a crisis. Now, because of the shelter and assistance you gave, she is ready to start the next chapter of her life.