April 2017 Newsletter

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Life Got Complicated

Holly had to be transported to River Bend in Springfield for an emergency C-section because of complications with the delivery of her baby. James was born in October. After four days, she was discharged with only one possible destination for the two of them to remain together as a family. The Child Welfare Program had intervened making it a requirement that she go to the Mission’s Samaritan Inn. Returning to the home of extended family members in Roseburg was not an option. A past, vengeful boyfriend had called in a report of an unfit household. Going to an apartment or motel room was not acceptable either. For a few months, she would need supervision at our shelter because of concerns for her mental health, past drug use, and being a new mom with an uncertain skill set to take care of a newborn. Several state funded social service agencies would work with her to ensure a successful start to their new family.

Life for Holly had gotten complicated. Her early adulthood started out strong, achieving a GED at seventeen and completing two terms at UCC. She held a job as a gas station attendant for eight years. But she had boyfriend trouble. She experienced domestic violence through physical abuse, jealousy stalking at work, and the burning of her storage unit. Then, her mom, whom she had been living with, died. Holly was not eligible to remain in the apartment under her mother’s HUD housing voucher. She subleased a room in a rented house, until the owner found out and evicted her. She stayed in a motel, then slept in her truck for a few months. Her complicated life caused her to lose her job. She bought a trailer with a tax return, then had to sell it, because a friend stole the rest of her money. That is when she moved into the home that was reported to CWP.

Holly’s reports have been good, and she is now eligible to live independently with baby James. Her total wait for subsidized housing will be 9 to 10 months. When James is six months, she can look for work, and child-care will be provided through a state agency with a small co-pay.