From the kitchen

The other day I was in the kitchen, talking with mothers who live in our shelter. One mom began talking candidly about her life. She said she is skeptical of church people because her pastor stole money from her. She has trouble trusting people, because she has been raped and abandoned by family members and people whom she trusted. Now, she looks at people who claim faith, and wonders if they really mean it.

Before she came to Family Promise, this woman had been living in her car with her children, one of whom has health problems. She says she is grateful to be with us. She is able to rest, and clear her mind, knowing that she has a roof over their heads, food to eat, and people who care about what happens to her family. She has made friends and can focus on moving forward.

Her personal faith is strong, and her self-esteem is growing. She is intelligent, articulate, and educated. Language arts and writing were her favorite subjects in school, years ago. She loves her family and wants a good life for them. Sounds like a typical woman. And yet, she has lived through so much hardship. It is hardly imaginable.

Many people would look at her and pass judgment without even realizing what they are doing. "People are homeless by some fault of their own - a bad choice - a bad habit - they brought this on themselves and must learn from their mistakes." Okay. Sometimes that is true. But not all the time.

How about the people who are homeless because of the actions of others? These days, we get calls from people who have been paying their rent faithfully. The landlord loses the property in foreclosure and they get notification that they have to be out in 30 days. They live from check to check, as many Americans do. Whose fault is this?

What about the people who can't afford health insurance? One serious illness can be ruinous, causing them to lose a job, a home, stability. What about the people who worked hard at the same job for years, but the company shut down, or pulled roots and moved overseas? In this economy, a new job is not easy to find - especially here in Toledo where the unemployment rates are almost double the national averages.

Back to the moms in our program - I just had a fantastic phone call. The mom I was talking about signed the lease for her new home yesterday and will move this coming week. She says that good things keep happening since she came to Family Promise. She has keys. She is no longer homeless.