Housing & Shelter

You Can Help Keep Families Close to Their Hospitalized Kids
“The Ronald McDonald House kept us close to our babies in the hospital. We could hold them and love them instead of being stuck in traffic while critical moments slipped by.” ─ Bell Family

Maritza moved to Colorado when her husband, who was in the service, was transferred to Ft. Carson. She worked as a Spanish Analytical Linguist for federal and state law enforcement agencies during this time.
After her husband returned from Iraq, they were divorced, leading to Maritza’s first experience facing housing instability. Despite this challenge, Maritza founded her own language consulting company and provided a comfortable life for she and her three sons.

The Night Ministry is a Chicago-based non-profit whose mission is to provide housing, health care, and human connection to community members struggling with poverty or homelessness. With an open heart and an open mind, we accept people as they are and address their immediate physical, emotional and social needs while affirming their sense of humanity.

When Kody Frazier and fellow Marines went for a night out on the town, they did the responsible thing and got a car service to drive them home. On the way, a drunk driver hit their vehicle and Kody took the impact of the accident. After being extubated in the Intensive Care Unit at 3:00AM, Kody’s first words were, “Where’s Memaw?” Grandma (aka Memaw), Carolyn Winn, was at Fisher House San Diego and rushed up to the hospital to be at Kody’s bedside, when this moment was captured.

In March, when the pandemic unfolded in the United States, 80% of Bridges’ families found themselves unemployed or facing a significant decrease in hours. Despite the hopeless outlook, Bridges’ families remained resilient. In late March, a case manager at the shelter walked upstairs to an apartment unit where boisterous Christmas Carols we're filling the hallways. He was very surprised and intrigued by the singing of the Jingle Bells song in March. A little 5-year-old boy bounced up to the door, when the case manager knocked.

The youngest of 5 children, Michelle was the “baby” of her family. Never knowing her father, she shared a special closeness with her mother. When Michelle was just 17 years old, she lost her mother to a years-long battle with cancer. This sent Michelle reeling. She began to suffer from a deep depression that would upend her life for many years to come.

Joan, a mom living in Mountain Home's residential program with her young child, has worked to overcome immense odds. Many moms come to us from all over Montana having experienced homelessness, substance use disorders, abuse, or a background in foster care - Joan's story is similar. But, since working with a case manager and supportive employment specialist, Joan has started a new job and classes to make progress towards completing her education. All of this while also being an amazing parent to her five month old daughter!

Amidst the challenges and interruptions of COVID-19, many youth like “Calla” are still reaching milestones and achieving self-sufficiency. “Calla” recently graduated from Second Story for Young Mothers and moved into her own apartment with her son. Calla experienced verbal and physical abuse from her family before coming to Second Story, and she had very few people who supported her. She thrived, though, upon entering the program. She got a healthcare certificate and soon began working at a doctor’s office.

As a native Portlander, Bylinda has seen the city change in many ways, most notably in housing. She’s grown up all over Portland, but fondly remembers family gatherings at her great-grandmother’s house near NE Alberta and 24th Avenue. Her great-grandmother bought the house in 1906 for $5,600, during a time when the neighborhood was predominantly African American.

“Her house was actually the gathering spot for the whole family,” Bylinda recalls. “Everybody in the family, back and forth, you could always go stay at grandma’s.”

Colleen, an Air Force veteran, didn’t even know what PTSD was until she was diagnosed with it. “There is so much frustration when your brain doesn’t work right. You see where you used to be and how capable you were,” she says. “Now I can’t do any of those things.” Struggling with her marriage and job, Colleen found herself in debt and overwhelmed with the world around her. Before long, she was homeless and part of an unfortunate national trend of homelessness. Female veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless veteran population today.