Christmas Past and Present: Part II

So I got a bit behind with posting last month, but better late than never right? :-)

Here is another story of one of our moms from Christmas past.

Natasha* came to the Sheepfold about a week before Christmas. Right in the middle of the office staff's busiest season! We were the only one of the Sheepfold's shelters that had an opening so Natasha was placed with us. She and her two children had been homeless for almost 1.5 years in the LA area, spending the seasons in and out of temporary shelters. Her son was 7 and her daughter not quite 2. Natasha had worked full-time in a warehouse until her daughter was born. After that, childcare was no longer affordable when combined with her other living expenses and after trying to make ends meet for several months they were finally evicted and spent their days on the streets.

When Natasha and her children arrived at the shelter we showed them their room and let them get settled. Her son was wearing only a t-shirt, old sweat pants, and cleats that were well-worn. That was the only pair of shoes he had. He was also carrying an overstuffed backpack that was full of his baby sister's food and diapers. His eyes made him look significantly older as he sized up the place and stood protectively at his mom's side. The baby was wearing a diaper that was over 2 sizes too big and 2 pairs of socks since she had no shoes. Natasha looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and she heaved a heavy sigh of relief when she put the baby down.

As I showed her around the home later that evening she just started weeping. She just kept saying over and over that this was so much nicer than what she had been expecting. She shared that they had been surviving off of her EBT card (food stamps), but had run out of $ with nearly two weeks still left in the month. For those of you that don't know how welfare works, those who qualify are given a certain amount of funds each month, one that can be used for food and another amount that can be used as cash for living expenses. For a person with access to a kitchen it is challenging (but possible) to make the money last throughout the month...provided you are not also paying rent or other bills. For the typical homeless person who eats on the street food costs more so the EBT cards frequently get used up before the month is out. That was just a side note, now back to the story!

After calling shelter after shelter only to be told they had no openings Natasha prepared herself to make one last call. She would not let her children starve to death on the streets so she was ready to call social services to take her children and place them in foster care. It tore at her heart to think of not being able to see and hold her little ones, but she had to do something. Her hand shook as she picked up the phone. No, not yet, one more call. She called the next shelter on the list from social services. It was the Sheepfold and we had an opening for a mom with two children.

The next week flew by with all the Christmas craziness I have related to you before. Natasha was one of the many families that were overwhelmed by the provision of God and the love of strangers. Her children were safe, fed, clothed, and loved. She was at peace and in a place where she could be supported and challenged in getting her life together. 

It's blurry because he was jumping up and down!

Precious little girl

 Seven months later Natasha graduated the Sheepfold program and was able to find a job out of state where living expenses were lower. She came to us with nothing except the clothes on her and her kids' backs and a backpack. When she left she had to rent a truck to hold all her things and transport her to her new apartment. She had paid off debts, completed parenting classes, and finished her resume. Her son was excelling in school and had taken up skateboarding. Her daughter was walking and talking, nearly ready for preschool.
*Name has been changed

Working on his reading with one of the Sheepfold's FANTASTIC mentors, Ron!