The Father That Could
The families who arrive at Families Moving Forward generally walk in under very difficult circumstances. As a team, we watch the families that once walked in with great needs and grave issues work hard and become determined to succeed.
The Mathis family joined Families Moving Forward in winter of 2017. Dorian, a single father, and his three children, ages 3, 2 and 9-months old, were staying with a family member in a one- bedroom apartment. When they could no longer stay with relatives, they came to FMF.
Dorian spent his first few weeks job searching and after a month, found a job. He then began working on budgeting and saving for the day he is able to find a stable home again. Dorian and I spent the next two months searching and applying to different apartments. Dorian started to feel like he was stuck in a slump due to different issues which caused him to be denied multiple times. After submitting several more applications, we finally received the call accepting him into housing. He was approved to move into a 2-bedroom home on April 7th 2018.
During the exit meeting with Dorian before he moved out of shelter, I asked him, “It’s been a bit of a bumpy road but you made it! Do you have any concerns about moving this weekend?” Dorian stated, “At the age of 29 years-old, I finally feel like I’m moving forward with my life onto better things. I feel like everything is falling into place.” What a rewarding feeling it is to see a family that was struggling for so long, find the strength and determination to reach success.
Photography of Dorian and children by John Walsh.
