Almost Home, Inc. touches thousands of individuals lives each year. Unfortunately, more often than not, these stories do not get passed along to the greater community. We would like to use this space to share our clients stories that we are exceptionally proud of.
Deb
Deb first came to Almost Home in Novembe
r of 2007. She had with her, two young grandchildren. She had no place to turn, she had run out of options. Deb was placed in our family homeless shelter in Brighton with her two grandchildren. They stayed there a number of weeks, all the while working with one of our case managers, the late Tina Gerstmann, to get back on their feet. Through working with Tina, Deb was able to find a job at the Mile High United Way, where she has been employed for over three years. She was also able to move out of the shelter and into Hughes Station , a low income apartment complex partially owned by Almost Home.
Although the story could end there nicely, Deb still wanted more for her family. She signed up with Habitat for Humanity so that she could obtain a home that she and her family could own and enjoy. It was approximately two years before she got a chance at her own home. During that time she relocated from Hughes Station to Almost Home’s transitional housing unit. She had to put in 250 hours of “sweat equity” during that time to earn a home. In the end, the struggle and hard work paid off. Deb was given the keys to her new home, built by Habitat for Humanity, in Golden, CO. The family has a place they can truly call their own.
Bennette
“I was on my way home from work at 1:00 am when I was brutally attacked by a stranger outside my apartment. I was left for dead.”
“My recovery was long and I needed a lot of help. I lost my job and eventually, my apartment…the only home my sons and I knew. We then moved into motels, but I quickly ran out of money and we found ourselves homeless. I was desperate. We had nowhere to go. Thankfully, I found shelter at Almost Home. ”
“I don’t know where I’d be without Almost Home. We stayed in the shelter for two months, then I was back to work and saved enough money for an apartment. Finally, I felt like we were going to be ok.”
Almost Home changes lives. In addition to sheltering her family, we helped pay her rental deposit and $200 of the first month’s rent on an apartment. Then, just prior to move in, her car broke down and she wasn’t able to get to work. Almost Home and the local ministerial alliance then garnered enough money and negotiated a fair price with a local mechanic to repair her car the same day. Bennette and her sons moved into their apartment the next day with the overwhelming support of the community. Bennette and her sons transitioned from homelessness to self-sufficiency in a safe environment they now call home.
Anne*
A 26 year old single mom with one child recently came to Almost Home needing financial assistance with the deposit of her apartment. Her mother accompanied her to the appointment. The young mother’s story was indeed moving.
She had been applying and waiting for section 8 housing for the past 8 years and she had finally been approved. Her mother proudly mentioned how proud she is of her daughter. She stated her daughter has dyslexia and struggled through high school but had graduated. She also said her daughter got pregnant in the process but had stepped up expertly to the role of a mother. Not only was she a great mom, she was also a successful full time college student and an employee who was now going to be able to provide a home for herself and her 7 year old son.
The history of success for this single mother greatly justifies the financial assistance provided by Almost Home in helping secure permanent affordable housing for this family.
Nancy*
Almost Home recently housed a single mother and her 14 year old son. They were living with Nancy’s mother. Family living and constant disagreements eventually led Nancy and her son to sleep in their vehicle and come to Almost Home for help.
Nancy is employed in Brighton, earning minimum wage. Almost Home provided emergency shelter so she could focus on work, save money for rent and a deposit, and search for affordable housing so she could become self-sufficient.
After working diligently to find affordable housing and completing numerous rental applications, Nancy was finally able to obtain an apartment of her own. As luck would have it, a donor contacted Almost Home during Nancy’s case mangement meeting and donated a couch to her.
With a litle support from Almost Home and the local community, Nancy and her son have successfully completed the Almost Home Shelter Program and are well on their way to becoming self-sufficient.
*Names have been changed
