*Mary, a 43 year old woman came here from another city because of a divorce and, also, to help her mother who had recently had surgery. Because her mother lived in subsidized housing, there were rules that would not allow Mary to live there, and she had to find another place to stay.
As per her request Mary was entered into Interfaith’s transitional shelter program at Best Western to help her get on her feet in this new community.
Mary found a job in a local business and found an apartment she could move into. She had help with the $50 deposit for electricity, but her benefactor had no more money to share; and Mary still needed $250 for the rent deposit. Mary had no place to go if she could not meet these expenses for the apartment.
Interfaith helped Mary with $250 from The Peace and Justice Network of Montgomery County, Inc. fund to Fill the Gap to End Homelessness in Montgomery County.
*Grace needed a deposit to get her into an apartment. She is the daughter of another client who is on disability and receiving housing assistance (HUD). Since the daughter is an adult, she was only able to live with her mom for a short time. After leaving her mother’s apartment, she had been couch surfing at different friend’s homes. This Fill the Gap recipient has a job but has not been able to save the money necessary for the rental deposit and needed the extra financial assistance to get her into the apartment. Because she was young, she didn’t have enough credit to get in anywhere else. One particular apartment complex was nice enough to work with her on the application. They accepted her, but in order for this to work, she had to pay $100 extra for her deposit. Interfaith used the Fill the Gap funding to pay a total of $315 for her rental deposit. She is now in her new home!
*Margaret had been living with friends for a year after she qualified for housing assistance and was waiting for her name to be “called up” from the waiting list at Holly Creek Apartments. Her friends were going through their own financial difficulties and informed her that they would be moving out of the area. Margaret was working part time and worried that she would not only lose her housing, but possibly her job, if she became homeless. It seemed that Holly Creek knew her situation because they called with an available apartment. With the Fill the Gap funding, Interfaith was able to help pay the deposit for her apartment and electricity for a total of $354. Margaret expressed her gratitude for this assistance and stated, “I am so grateful to Interfaith of The Woodlands and feel extremely blessed!”
*Mark was referred by Brazos Valley Community Action Agency for rental deposit of $99 to assist him to get into the Rosewood Apartments. He had been living in the woods. He did not have transportation; so Interfaith did a phone interview. He is very eager to get into an apartment and believed that he would be able to afford the $440 rent with his SSI income.
*Alice’s husband had lost his job six months before she came to Interfaith, and he had not been able to find employment. They had been living off their savings, but those funds were depleted. She attained a job but it would not begin for another month. They were unable to continue paying their rent and were facing eviction. They had found a new complex that was considerably less than what they had been paying. They also had a new born baby. This couple needed a rental deposit of $200.00 to get into Timber Mill Apartments. Interfaith’s assistance with Fill the Gap funds for the deposit definitely prevented this family from becoming homeless.
*Marion requested help for a rental deposit. Because her husband left, her income was greatly reduced; and she was not able to continue paying her apartment rent. She had been homeless for almost a month. Living with friends in Angleton, Marion was going back and forth to work in The Woodlands where she made $9 an hour for a part time job. She found a garage apartment in a location that would allow her son to attend the same high school that he had been going to. Marion also, got a 2nd job at night. The deposit assistance helped her “get out of the hole so that she could get caught up.”
*Jane was assisted with a deposit of $410 to Entergy from the Fill the Gap Funds. She had been living in the Woodlands and was unable to continue with her lease when it expired, due to high legal fees from a case that had since been no-billed. Her pay and work hours had also been reduced because of her legal issues. Jane has 3 children and is a single mom. She had gone to live with an aunt in another community, but now that her legal issue is resolved, she is trying to get back on her feet and has moved back to The Woodlands.
*Mary Ann lost her job and became homeless. She was living with several family members with her four children. She had recently secured new employment and her own affordable housing; however, she had not yet received her first check and was unable to afford the electricity deposit of $460.00. She was very thankful for assistance and stated she wouldn’t have been able to pay the deposit with her income and had been worried about her children.
*Susan moved to this area a couple of years ago to live with and help her sister. Then her sister moved out of town, leaving her without a home. Susan’s only income was $373 a month. Luckily, she got in at Wood Glen Apartments. However, she had a $150 deposit for Entergy, which Interfaith was able to pledge thanks to Peace and Justice’s Fill the Gap funds.
Erin is a single mother of 2 children and works full time. She moved into a home that was more affordable. However, she was required to pay a past due amount that was left by a previous owner because the service was still on when she moved in. In addition, she was required to pay a $225.00 deposit. Erin was unable to pay that amount with her salary. She and her children had been without water for 2 days from the time that they moved in. She was very appreciative of assistance.