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Wearing Many Hats to Find Home

Dan Gregory July 5, 2018

The transition to shelter is often difficult for families as they enter Families Moving Forward. Adjusting to the program is sometimes only one of many changes the family experiences. Gina and her family understood this well when they came to our Southwest program in 2017. The family was accepted into FMF as a family of four – Gina, her husband, and two daughters. Just before entering the program, Gina’s husband left the family. This was a significant emotional challenge for the family, adding another barrier to their success. Losing a parent and spouse can be painful, and it poses logistical challenges to the ability to secure a home. Before losing their home, Gina left her job to care for her youngest daughter, recently diagnosed with autism and struggling with significant separation anxiety. Now a single parent, Gina had to navigate between being the primary care giver and sole income source for her family. Wearing multiple hats while adjusting to layers of loss made motivation difficult at times for Gina. She pushed through many of her own fears for the progress of her family, with the help of Families Moving Forward case managers and volunteers. Gina was eventually able to find work in a setting that allowed her to bring her youngest daughter. The family moved into a townhome in the area, and regained a new sense of stability and home.