Stephanie keeps on going

Stephanie is 41 years old and working hard to keep her family together while raising three kids. Two of her children are young teens now with their own lives evolving. Stephanie is also a daughter herself and has family in Dayton. Her family has helped when they can, to the extent they can. Stephanie did not want to burden her aging mother when she made the decision to leave her significant other for a safer and brighter future.

She knows she can make it. While Stephanie does not have a history of drug addiction or mental illness, she does admit that this experience is both anxious and depressing for her and the kids. Homelessness has not separated this family. While her kids go to their school of origin, which provides them with a sense of stability Stephanie goes to work everyday. She has her GED and is earning a dollar more per hour than minimum wage. She cannot afford market rent anywhere in Montgomery County, but she cannot afford to stop. She keeps on going.
 
The Other Place has provided Stephanie and her children a doorway from the streets to safety, warmth and determination. Food and clothing are no longer a worry for Stephanie. Healthcare is available. She has time to be together with the kids when they return from school. They take hot showers, do laundry and yes, plan for the future. Stephanie is working with a specialized family case manager here at The Other Place. Together they utilize our Affordable Housing Database to search for subsidized housing that Stephanie can afford in the short and long run. Stephanie learns to use the computer and gathers details. She needs to know if her housing includes utilities, if it is located in a safe area and is on a bus-line. She knows that The Other Place will help with deposit and furniture.

She truly appreciates the assistance, but she also knows that best thing she can do for her family is to move up and out of homelessness--and not come back. Until then Stephanie continues to save hard-earned money, continues to encourage her children, and continues to keep on going.
 

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