Client Stories from Interfaith of the Woodlands and Fill The Gap Program Volunteers
[Note: All names are pseudonyms (names flagged with an asterisk (“*”).]
Stories from Interfaith of the Woodlands
August 2017
Today we helped a 35 year old, black, single-mother of a one-year old infant with a $238 deposit to move into an apartment of their own. This client has been struggling with homelessness off and on for the past two years and most currently is staying with friends.
Today we helped a client out with a $600 deposit for her new apartment. She recently had to move out of her old apartment because the rent was increased and was more than she could afford. For the past 6 weeks her and her sister have been living in a small home with her brothers family. She was able to find a new apartment within her budget. With our deposit assistance she was able to secure the apartment and move in immediately.
Today we helped a woman and her fiancé move into a mobile home in Conroe with a $550 rent deposit. She is a 56 year old, black woman who’s health is deteriorating because she needs dialysis. She will now be able to participate in home dialysis because she has a permanent residence. She also let me know that she and her 52 year old fiancé are planning to get married this week
Today we assisted a family with a portion of the deposit they needed to move into a new apartments. This mother and her 3 kids have been staying with friends and family for the past 6 months while she searched for a full time job. Now that she has a job she was able to find a large enough apartments close by her office. She currently does not have reliable transportation but this apartment is walking distance to her new job. She is very thankful for the assistance and happy she is able to move in before the start of the school year.
Fill the Gap volunteer stories
December 2017
We assisted a client with a $500 deposit so she was able move into an apartment of her own. She had recently been living with relatives, but there was not enough room, and she was not on their lease. She was given one week to vacate by management. With the deposit assistance, she was able to find a secure an apartment of her own within that week and get moved in quickly.
We assisted a mother and her three daughters with a $190.00 deposit for their electric service. They had recently moved into a new apartment and had to pay a rental deposit of $1,400. This left them with very little money left over. She was not expecting to also have to pay a deposit for her electric. She was very appreciative of this assistance.
We were able to help a 34 year old man and woman with a 2 year old child with a rental deposit. This family had become homeless because of a job loss, and had been living for a couple of months in a hotel. The man had found employment, but the family was still unable to secure housing because of lack of deposit funds. Because we were able to help them with funds from P&J, they were able to secure an apartment and move in the next day.
In May, Fill the Gap assisted *Veronica, and her family with a rental deposit. She and her large multi-generational family had been displaced by the April floods. Her landlord was not going to be able to repair the home for an extended period of time. The family was split up – sleeping on floors and couches of other family members. Because of Fill the Gap, this family of 7 could reunite in a home where they could all have their own place to sleep.
*Nancy, her daughter and two grandchildren were living in an unsafe home with other relatives. Fill the Gap’s rent deposit allowed them to move out of this environment into a safe apartment for her, her grandchildren, and their mother.
*Clair needed to move into an apartment with her children because of her recent divorce. She was extremely grateful for the rental deposit money provided by Fill the Gap.
When the friend she had been living with moved out of state, *Mary needed rental deposit money to be able to move to another residence. She and her child were thankful for the assistance.
A group in Conroe helped *Tony secure an apartment and assisted him with the rent and move in costs. Fill the Gap paid his electricity deposit so that he could have his lights turned on. Then, since he was living in a functional home, this man, who had been homeless, was able to look for a job and save for a car.
*Charles, a disabled man in his 50’s, had been homeless for over a year. With a rent deposit from Fill the Gap and with rental assistance from another agency he could move into his own apartment.
*Gladys was laid off from her job and needed help with a rent deposit from Fill the Gap to move to more affordable housing with her two daughters. She is currently receiving unemployment and looking for a new job. She was very appreciative of the assistance.
Last month, Fill the Gap helped *Monica with a rent deposit to get into her new apartment. Since she does not have an established account with Entergy, she needed an additional $50 for a deposit with them. She needed the money that she had available to get moved and to set up her apartment.