Homeless to Housing in Less Than 10 Days
One of the 228 children served last year.
Karen, a single mother of two teenagers, has a full-time job to support her family. However, when her landlord did not renew her lease, Karen panicked.
“I was emotionally drained and scared for the future. Our lease was quickly running out and I had no idea where we were going to stay,” Karen shares.
With poor credit and little savings, Karen was forced to move her family into a hotel.
During her search for stable housing, Karen reached out to DuPagePads and was introduced to a Family Outreach Case Manager. The Family Outreach program is designed for families like Karen’s, who might not be utilizing the Interim (Overnight) Housing sites, but are still in need of housing resources.
Karen’s case manager made Karen aware of the agency’s Housing NOW program, which provides the first month’s rent and security deposit for families who are homeless, but have steady income.
As the case manager described the program Karen’s family was eligible for, Karen’s eyes filled with tears, “This is such a blessing!” Karen exclaimed.
Within nine days, Karen’s family was able to move from a temporary hotel unit to a new apartment, allowing for an easy transition for Karen and her teenage children.
One of the 116 families DuPagePads served last year.
“One of the worst feelings was knowing the insecurities my teenagers would face, worrying if their peers would find out that they were homeless. DuPagePads was able to assist us to quickly finding a new home without even having to visit the Interim (Overnight) Housing sites; that meant a great deal to my family,” Karen shares.
Last year, DuPagePads assisted 116 families, like Karen’s, who are in need of resources, encouragement and support to assist them in getting back on their feet with dignity and respect.
Karen smiles and says, “My heart is full of gratitude to DuPagePads and their supporters…All I can say is thank goodness for DuPagePads!”
