Keeping Families Together

Carolina was living with her husband and their infant son when they received a 30-day notice to vacate their home in mid-January. Her husband has a criminal record, making it extremely difficult to secure a stable job. To avoid an eviction on their record, they decided to leave their unit before the court hearing. They moved their belongings into a storage unit and began searching for a new rental. Carolina, still recovering from postpartum depression, had not yet been able to seek employment. Society often overlooks the mental health of a new mother, and distances her even more from speaking up about her mental health.

Despite applying to multiple properties, their applications were rejected due to her husband’s background. With no other options and their 20 days over, her husband moved to his brother’s couch, their baby stayed with his grandmother at night, and Carolina slept in their care outside her mother’s already crowded house. A family separated by circumstance.

Carolina reached out to The Licking County Coalition for Housing and spoke with our outreach coordinator, who confirmed she was living in her car. Determined to find a home for her and her child, she continued applying for rentals without listing her husband on the applications. She also secured a job at Wal-Mart and began training. Shortly after, she was approved for a rental unit and moved in with her son. Her husband agreed to watch their baby while she worked. As luck would have it, she fell ill with the flu and had to be hospitalized for three nights. During her absence, she lost her job at Wal-Mart. Determined to keep fighting for security, Carolina found a new job as a receptionist and has been able to keep up with rent. Her husband continues to care for their son while living at his brother’s house.

Carolina’s story is all too common in modern society. Rather than building a reliable community, we expect individualism and often place blame onto those with less privilege than others. Organizations like LCCH are positioned to specifically help these exact situations and more.

Carolina and her family have the opportunity now to seek security, while having a roof over their heads.