Stories from 2024

Stories from the Fill The Gap project in association with Interfaith of the Woodlands

[Note: All names are pseudonyms (names flagged with an asterisk (“*”).]

January 2024 Report

The client is a 41-year-old single black female. She has two twin 13-year-old girls. After losing her job and divorcing her husband, she moved in with her mother to get back on her feet. She was ready to be on her own but even with her new job she could not support her family and pay the deposit for her new apartment as a single parent with one income. With Fill the Gap Funding, we were able to pay the $450 deposit for her as well as provide her with additional resources. She left very grateful for our help and for

her new life.

The client is a 43-year-old single black mother of two children ages 16 and 11 who are currently homeless and stay with various friends. She stated that she is currently recovering from a domestic violence situation and currently has limited income, but has stable employment. The client was assisted with $850 towards her rental deposit. She stated that she is very excited to have found a new home and that being assisted with the deposit has been a blessing.

The client is a 44-year-old black female mother of one 6-year-old child. She came to Interfaith looking to start fresh after finding her previous living situation unsafe. We were able to provide her with rent deposit assistance in the amount of $450.00. She was extremely grateful for the help.

The client is a 30-year-old female Hispanic single mother of 4 with children ages 11, 8, 7, 4 who had to abandon her previous home and relocate. She stated that her funds are limited due to being a single mother and she was not able to make the payment for her deposit. The client was assisted with $240 towards her electric deposit. She was concerned about not having electricity for her children and was very relieved to receive the assistance through the Fill the Gap Program.

The client is a 42-year-old white female currently living at the Montgomery County Women’s Shelter. She was able to find an apartment to move into with her daughter who is 4 years old and called Interfaith asking what assistance could be provided to her during this transitional time. Through the Fill the Gap program, the family was assisted with $597 for a deposit towards their new home.

The client is a 39-year-old white female who is a single mother of a 12-year-old son. She recently moved into a new apartment and needed help covering the electric deposit. Through Fill the Gap funds, the client was assisted with $150 towards her deposit and was very thankful for all the assistance.

The client is a 59-year-old single white female who is transitioning from homelessness and is now able to support herself. Despite her best efforts, the client did not have enough funds for a deposit to get into a new residence. Thanks to Fill the Gap funding we were able to provide $600 of deposit assistance . She is very excited to move into her new home and end her period of homelessness.

The client is a white single 49-year-old male. The client had recently started attended college, but was having a hard time financially. He moved closer to his school and needed help with the deposit for his electric assistance of $230. The client was very thankful for this opportunity and assistance and can now save gas money and pay bills with closer living arrangements made possible by Fill the Gap funding.

The client is a 48-year-old white single mother with a 10-year-old child. She stated that she had to immediately relocate due to threats from a neighbor to her and her child and that after multiple complaints to her previous apartment complex, little had been done to solve the problem. Because she had to move quickly for her safety, she did not have all the funds available for the move. We were able to provide her

with rental deposit assistance of $650 and she was extremely grateful.

The client is a 45-year-old black female. She was forced to move because living in her previous home had become unsafe. She was the victim of sexual assault in her own home and there is an open case to try to arrest her previous house mate who assaulted her. Thanks to Fill the Gap funding, we were able to provide her $500 rent deposit for the new apartment. She left very grateful and full of hope.

February 2024 Report

Client is a 73-year-old black female who came to Interfaith seeking deposit assistance. She stated that due to her fixed income, she needed to downsize in order to comfortably pay for rent each month, especially its only getting worse and the cost of items increases. Through Peace and Justice funding Interfaith was able to provide $550.00 towards deposit assistance.

The client is a 66-year-old black female requesting deposit assistance. She came to Interfaith for assistance in moving to a safer neighborhood after reporting feeling unsafe in her current home in which she has lived for the last nine years. Peace and Justice was able to provide funding in the amount of $600.00 towards deposit assistance at her new home in which she now feels safe again.

The client is a 34-year-old black single mother. Her children are aged 15 ,11, and 7 years old. She reported being a victim of physical abuse from her ex-husband, which eventually forced her and her children to seek safety at the Montgomery County Women’s Shelter. Thanks to the Peace and Justice program Interfaith was able to pay $800 for her deposit to get her and her children into a stable and safe environment. Client is very grateful for this new opportunity to start over.

The client is a 23-year-old black single mother who has a 2-year-old toddler and a new baby on the way. After fleeing from domestic violence, she was at the Montgomery County Women’s Shelter for 1 month and then was able to find safe housing. Interfaith was able to pay the full $250 deposit to get her into the apartment. She left very grateful and excited to be in her own home.

The client is a 59-year-old white single mother who has recently needed to downsize due to the fixed income she lives on. She came to Interfaith seeking deposit assistance in order to move into her new home where she could live more comfortably on her fixed income. Through Peace and Justice, Interfaith provided her with a $400.00 deposit. She was very grateful with the thought of having piece of mind not stressing over her finances.

March 2024 Report

The client is a white 75-year-old widowed male veteran. He was forced to leave his previous home as the landlord had to sell the RV in which he was living. Client came to Interfaith reporting he was now homeless and requesting help. Through the Fill the Gap funding we were able to help him with his deposit of $750 resulting in securing the client a new place to live. Client very grateful and excited for his new opportunity.

The client is a white female in her early 60’s. She recently was evicted from her apartment in Houston. The client is employed as a teacher for CISD and was driving a very long commute from Houston to Conroe every day. She was able to find a home to move into in Conroe and utilized Peace and Justice funding to provide the $900 deposit. The client was happy that she would be living closer to work and really thankful to be able to get the assistance during spring break to start work next week on the right foot.

The client is a 63-year-old white female who came to Interfaith for rental deposit due to low funds.Client indicated that she is the primary caregiver of her 14-year-old granddaughter. Together they both rely on the social security check the granddaughter receives as their only source of income. Client states that she moved apartments to create a better living environment for her granddaughter. The client was able to benefit from the Fill the Gap deposit assistance providing $301 towards the deposit.

The client is a 59-year-old white single mother of one. She has come to Interfaith seeking a place for her and her son to live as her lease was ending and rent had increased. Client was seeking electricity deposit assistance due to having no funds to pay after paying for moving expenses. Through Fill the Gap funding Interfaith has provided Entergy with $150.00 to help towards her deposit. Client relieved to have secured a new affordable home for her and her child.

The client is a 45-year-old single Black female referred to Interfaith for assistance. Client shared that she fled from domestic violence and unsafe conditions. As a result, she had to leave all her belongings behind and stayed in a women’s shelter for about 3 to 4 months. Due to starting over, the client did not have enough funds to secure the rental deposit. By using Fill the Gap funding, Interfaith assisted the client with $300 towards her rental deposit. The client indicated how thankful she was for all the
assistance.

The client is an African American female in her late 30’s. The client reports fleeing from domestic abuse involving her daughter who is a minor and has recently had a child. The client was able to find a new apartment to move into with her daughter and her newborn grandchild. Through utilizing Peace and Justice grant funds Interfaith was able to provide deposit assistance in the amount of $650. The client
was grateful.

The client is a 74-year-old white female. The client could no longer afford the rising cost of living and as a result was forced to move out the house in which she lived. The client located low income housing for seniors. Thanks to Fill the Gap funding Interfaith was able to pay for her full deposit in the amount of $388 securing a new residence for the client. Client left very appreciative and relieved.

May 2024 Report

The client is a 28-year-old single mother of 4. She currently lives with a family friend who has children of her own. She came to Interfaith looking for deposit assistance focused on having her own place to call home. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, we were able to provide $500.00 towards her deposit. She expressed her gratitude for the help.

The client is a 29-year-old black single female who had been paying her electric expense directly to her leasing office. Recently all residents in her complex were required to get their electricity account in their own name. Due to the client’s limited funds, she was unable to produce the deposit and reached out to United Way (ICJ) for assistance and was referred to Interfaith. With Fill the Gap funding, we were able to pay the full electric deposit of $180 and the client successfully transferred electricity into her name. She was very grateful.

The client is a 35-year-old black single mother with children ages 5 years and 2 months old. Her previous landlord sold their house, instructing the family to move out immediately. The client is currently on maternity leave resulting in limited income as she is only receiving 60% of her salary during this time. She was able to locate an apartment for her family; however, could not afford the deposit. We were able to pay $477 for the deposit through utilization of Fill the Gap funding. The client was grateful for the help and relieved to no longer have the stress and fear of homelessness.

The client is an African American female in her early 20’s who lives with her boyfriend and her two children ages 5 & 2. The family was homeless for about 8 months and recently was able to successfully secure housing. The client requested assistance after after being unable to pay the electric deposit. Through Fill the Gap funding the client was assisted with $440 for Entergy. They were recently affected by the May flood as well and were extremely grateful to have some assistance during these hard times.

The client is a 34-year-old white single woman experiencing difficulty maintaining employment due to her health issues. Recently she was able to achieve a balance between her health issues and her work responsibilities and located stable housing with plans for immediate move-in. The client was seeking assistance as she was waiting on her initial pay check with her new job and was unable to pay the deposit to secure the home. Through Fill the Gap funding, we were able to pay the $110 deposit fee. The client with happy tears so grateful for the assistance.

August 2024 Report

The client is a 32-year-old black homeless female who is a single mother of children ages 2 and 3. She stated that she would be getting custody of her children and needed help with her deposit for a new home. Interfaith was able to provide rent deposit assistance in the amount of $900 through the Fill the Gap program and help her provide a home for her family.

The client is a 27-year-old black single mother of 6 children. The client had recently moved into a new apartment and needed help with the deposit for her electricity. The client was assisted with $140 for deposit assistance for Entergy. She was thankful for the assistance in helping secure electricity for her family, especially with the summer heat and all of them being home at this time.

The client is a single Hispanic woman in her early 50’s. The client had been homeless and was able to find an apartment to move into with her two daughters who are 31 years old and 27 years old. She received rent assistance of $500 through Fill the Gap and was very happy to be able to receive help and have a permanent place to live in.

The client is a black 34-year-old female who recently separated from her husband and was able to find an apartment to move into with her four children. She was provided with information about our Fill the Gap deposit assistance at the woman’s shelter. The client was very thankful to receive $500 towards her rent deposit for her new apartment.

The client is a black 40-year-old single mother of a daughter who has with sickle cell anemia. She recently moved to Texas and needed help with her electricity deposit. Fill the Gap provided her with $200 towards her utility assistance. She was very appreciative of the help.

The client is a 34-year-old black female with 3 children, ages 8, 7, and 6 years old. She fled from a domestic violence situation in Nevada and moved to Texas with her children. After a few months of living in another city in Texas, her ex-spouse found her and she had to flee again. Due to lack of funds, the client was at a woman’s shelter for a couple of months. She stated that two of her children have autism which makes it hard to maintain employment during the summer due to their regular doctor appointments. She also stated that she is now consistently working since her children are back at school, but with all the struggles that the family has faces it has made it very difficult to pay for all the deposits in her new apartment. She was assisted with $200 towards deposit of her electric bill through Fill the Gap. She stated that she was very thankful for all the assistance she received.

The client is a 62-year-old white woman who has stage 4 cancer and needed help with a deposit for her new home. She was recently evicted from her previous place of living and was able to find a home to rent. The client was assisted with $500 for the deposit through Fill the Gap and was very grateful.

October 2024 Report

Client is a 58-year-old white man. He and his wife, white female age 64, are both on disability and have a hard time making ends meet. They were able to find an apartment that better fits their budget, but could not afford to pay both rent and the security deposit. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $500 for the security deposit. The client was very grateful for this assistance.

Client is a 28-year-old black female who was let go of her job last month. She is downsizing due to her unemployment benefits not covering her current rent and expenses. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $250 for rental deposit. The client left grateful for the assistance.

Client is a 46-year-old black female who recently moved to Texas from Memphis, Tennessee in order to provide a safer environment for herself and her 5 children, ages 5, 7, 11, 12, and 13. The client’s sole income is disability benefits. While the client paid for all other deposits with her own funds before knowing about this program, with the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $80 for the remaining gas deposit. The client left grateful for the assistance.

Client is a 44-year-old Hispanic female. The day after she moved into her new apartment she was fired from her job and the client was not able to afford her electric deposit. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $200 for the deposit. The client left very grateful for the assistance.

Client is a 53-year-old black female. Her daughter, age 31, serves as her full-time care- giver, as the client is disabled. The client, her daughter, and the client’s 2 grandchildren, ages 16 and 6, were recently homeless for 2 months after struggling to find a place to live. They were eventually able to find safe housing for their family and with the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide the $250 deposit for them. The client was very grateful for the assistance.

Client is a 55-year-old single Hispanic woman on a fixed-income who needed to move into a more affordable living space after her rent increased. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $495.00 for her deposit. The client was very grateful for this assistance.

Client is a 64-year-old white female who was previously homeless for a year but was finally able to find a safe apartment. Being that she is on social security, her funds are very limited. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $150 for the electric deposit. The client was very grateful for this assistance.

December 2024 Report

Client is a 34-year-old white female. Her husband and 3 children, ages 14, 13, and 10 years old had previously homeless, living in their vehicle. The family was able to find a safe home they could afford, but could not afford the deposit and rent at the same time. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $500 for the deposit so they family could move into their new home. The client and her family left very grateful for the assistance.

Client is a 37-year-old white female. She recently moved to Texas with her husband, age 33. With moving expenses and the time it took for her to find a job, her finances dwindled drastically. With the help of Fill the Gap funds, Interfaith was able to provide $200 for the electric deposit. Client was very grateful for the assistance.