Waiting For Home
Family Spotlight. Written by Dylan Novacek, Content Specialist
“Moving out of the home I just purchased was overwhelming and unsettling,” Simone sighed. “An insect problem and significant water damage left my kids and I needing a new place to live. After this came a lot of patience and frustration while we tried to find a new home.”
Simone felt the clock ticking as she began searching for a home that not only met her budget, but also the needs of her three kids. She would move back in with her mom while searching for a house, an option many don’t have. During this time, Simone would see firsthand the severity of our current housing crisis.
“We were trying to get into income-based housing. I tried in the past, but it has always been the hardest thing to get into,” she explained. “The process of obtaining a referral can be a long one. There were so many things in the way. I just wanted an apartment that was reasonable, livable, and in my budget.”
Searching for housing for those at or below 30% of the area medium income (which is defined as deeply affordable) can be incredibly challenging and competitive. Often when an apartment becomes available, it is taken by referrals before the general public can see the listing. Those outside this system have a slim chance at obtaining that housing. Compounded by the fact that there simply isn’t enough housing to go around, families like Simone’s struggle to find a home of their own.
“I wasn’t afraid to talk about my situation with others. By chance we were able to get a referral. However, the wait to move in would be over four months,” Simone exclaimed. “After all that time looking, my children and I were without a home of our own, staying at my mother’s. This wait was exhausting.
“I became numb,” she paused. “I felt like I was in zombie mode. Day after day I would get up and go to work. I would try to keep myself busy to make the time move faster. It’s hard to be without a place of your own for so long.”
As the time progressed, Simone felt as though she was burdening her mother. Carrying this heavy feeling, she knew how on the edge she was. Families understand how tight the budget can get when the unexpected happens. Unfortunately, it can take one missed bill or one emergency expense to push a family into homelessness. With the unexpected expenses of having to leave her home, she felt thankful to stay with her mom. Doing what she could around the house, she worked hard to continue supporting her family.
“I am so grateful we could stay with my mom while we waited. If she wasn’t here, I would be in a creek or something, I swear,” she laughed, making light of the situation. “She wanted my kids and I to be comfortable. But I knew we just needed a place of our own.
“For me, home is a permanent place. Over the years, my experience with housing hasn’t been very stable. We’ve been in quite a few apartments, and they have never felt like home. For me, home has to be mine. It’s a place where I feel safe and secure.”
Being able to live in a home you can afford, without fear of instability or eviction, is essential. We all benefit when everyone can afford their homes. Currently, Beacon is working to meet the needs of our growing housing crisis by creating deeply affordable homes for families like Simone’s. This spring, we will celebrate the opening of Cranberry Ridge, which will be home to 45-families. Additionally, we’re working to combat the policies that create housing instability.
Through the Bring it Home, Minnesota campaign, we’re building power to ensure all Minnesotans get the rent support they deserve. In our current system, individuals like Simone lack the resources needed to find and stay in affordable housing. Currently, only one in four individuals who qualify for a rental voucher get one. Our housing system is clearly failing families. Because of underfunding in the voucher program, too many families risk falling into homelessness. The answer is clear: we need more permanent solutions for home.
“The day I received the call that we could move in, a weight was lifted off my back,” Simone smiled. “I feel like I have my independence back. It feels like I am not in anyone’s way anymore…I know this apartment is temporary. But it will do for now.”
Looking towards the future, Simone hopes to purchase a home again so her three kids can have bedrooms of their own. For now, Simone is breathing a lot easier knowing she is stably housed in a home she can afford.
“We need to talk more about our housing struggles,” she insisted. “If I hadn’t, I would’ve never gotten a referral. We shouldn’t stigmatize this conversation. We can work together and help ensure everyone is in a home they can afford.”
Will you join the conversation? Click here to learn how you can help advocate for the creation of deeply affordable homes. Additionally, visit bringithomeminnesota.org to learn more on how we’re working to ensure all Minnesotans get the rent support they deserve.
