Kelly’s Story: A Place to Call Home
Kelly, a young single mom, came to FamilyAid Boston after being evicted from her apartment. Kelly couldn’t keep up with the cost of rent and daycare for her daughter, but without daycare Kelly couldn’t go to work. After falling behind on rent, her landlord told her she had to leave. Unsure of what to do, Kelly and her 3-year-old daughter, Sophie, went to stay with family. Unfortunately, soon after moving in Kelly and Sophie had to give up their room. Kelly’s grandparents were facing severe health issues and could no longer live on their own. The small apartment quickly became over-crowded and Kelly made the difficult decision to apply for shelter.
From her first day at FamilyAid Boston, Kelly was motivated and determined to work hard to find stable, permanent housing for her and Sophie. Kelly met weekly with Morgan Glynn and Audrey Beare, her FamilyAid Boston support team, to address her family’s needs, establish a plan to help her reach her goals, connect her to community resources, and eventually return to stable housing.
Kelly’s support team helped her find affordable daycare for Sophie, which allowed Kelly the opportunity to enroll in a job training program. Upon completion of the program, Kelly earned a certificate in hospitality services. Through networking and connections made at her program, Kelly successfully landed a paid internship with a state agency, with the opportunity to be hired into a permanent position.
Several months after she came to FamilyAid Boston, with Audrey’s support, Kelly obtained an affordable housing voucher. Audrey immediately launched an apartment search for Kelly and Sophie. After several weeks of concerted effort, Audrey found Kelly a wonderful, two-bedroom apartment near Sophie’s daycare. With private support from FamilyAid’s Family-to-Family Project, Kelly and Sophie were able to quickly move out of shelter and settle into their new apartment. Kelly and Sophie love spending time together in their new apartment with its view of a neighborhood park. Kelly is excited to be in a job she loves and is happy that every night she can tuck Sophie into bed, in a place they call home.
