Make Your Year-End Gift, A New Beginning for the Homeless

Faces of Homelessness

Bridging Gaps.

Judy had recently lost her husband to cancer and was struggling to make ends meet without his income. She was trying to draw on Social Security but they were fighting her on it.  Additionally, she was still recovering from a recent kidney surgery and was traveling back and forth from Ann Arbor for treatments.  Judy’s apartment was subsidized but her portion of the rent had not yet been recalculated to reflect the loss of her husband’s income. Facing possible eviction, Judy began to reach out for help.  She was able to add up funds from local agencies but was falling slightly short.  That’s where Allegan Homeless Solutions stepped in. Judy was able to keep her apartment and focus on recovery.

Breaking Barriers.

Tom was a middle-aged physically disabled single man living in a van in his son’s driveway. He had become homeless a long eight months before Allegan Homeless Solutions heard his story from a local service provider.  Tom was forced to leave the apartment he had been in due to a traumatic event that happened there.  Tom never expected his homelessness would last so long.  Month after month his income was depleting from the purchases of readymade food, use of expensive laundry mats and gas to keep his van running during the cold winter.  At the end of each month, he found himself penniless and still homeless.  His lack of education and ability to read made finding suitable housing even more difficult.  Finally, after the assistance of several agencies and some case management, Tom is now housed in a one bedroom apartment.  He is able to make his own food, sleep in his own bed and access regular medical care that he had needed.  Thanks to the work of Allegan Homeless Solutions and hardworking case manager, Tom has a new sense of security and confidence that he can make the monthly obligations to remain in his new home.

Bringing Solutions.

A local service provider, with years of experience, had come across the worst case she had ever seen. Although she is generally optimistic, she thought she would never be able to help Sam get into housing.  Much to her surprise, Sam was able to locate housing but was falling short due to an old utility bill that he had forgotten about. Sam was on a tight deadline to get this taken care of or he would lose his place in line for the apartment. Allegan Homeless Solutions was able to quickly step in and Sam now has stable housing.