Today we congratulate Cecilia and her daughter for getting into their own home. Read their story below….

To whom it may concern,
Hi my name is Cecilia. I am a single mother of a 10-year-old daughter. I got divorced about 5 years and I decided I needed to move out of the place where my husband and I used to live with our daughter. As hard as it was I knew that moving out of the place where we lived was the best decision for my daughter and me. I just couldn’t stay living at the same place where I had gone through a hard time of my life. Therefore, I rented a one-bedroom apartment in Garden Grove for my daughter and me. I had to ask for help from my mother because my credit score wasn’t at all good and I couldn’t do it on my own. My daughter and I lived there for 2 years. It wasn’t easy. Many times I felt alone and scared. I remember crying many nights alone without anyone to talk to. I was facing the cruel reality of being a single parent and I was going through a tough divorce at that time. But as hard as it was I was able to face life alone with my daughter. Knowing we had a place to call home was a good feeling. A place where there wasn’t any fighting, arguing, and violence. I felt good as a mother to be able to provide a safe environment for my daughter. Two years later I lost my job and I could no longer afford to pay for the rent. I also decided I needed to go back to school. It wasn’t an easy decision since I always thought school was for smart people and that I wasn’t one of those people. I knew that that wasn’t going to be easy for many reasons but regardless of it all I enrolled in college and moved out of my apartment. I literally didn’t have a place to go so I asked my mother for help. After she talked to her husband (my stepfather) they agreed to help me only for three months since they really didn’t have the space for my daughter and I. My mother only had a one-bedroom apartment so they offer me to stay with my daughter in the living room. I remember crying like crazy the first night. I felt awkward. As if I didn’t belonged there. But once again I was making a sacrifice for my daughter. I knew that going to school was far more important than having a place. (At least at that time) Unfortunately, those 3 months turned into 3 years!! Three years of living in a living room without any privacy, having my daughter sleeping in the floor many times. It was very hard to see my daughter go through so much. It wasn’t only that she would sleep on the floor but I also witness how she was always being yelled at and had many rules she needed to follow. My mother didn’t make things easy for us. In fact, thing got worse and worse and worse. First, my mother’s sister-in-law and her adult 3 sons came to live with us. To the living room were my daughter and I were staying. There were literally 7 adults, including me and one child, my daughter, living in a one-bedroom apartment. I don’t understand why would my mother bring her sister-in-law to live there when she knew there wasn’t any space for her. That made things worst for my daughter and I. Because of the lack of space, my mother decided to get rid of dining table to be able to fit her sister in law in her sons in the living room. Therefore, we didn’t have a table to sit and have dinner. This really hurt me as a mother. I grew up eating on the floor and it was so hard to see my daughter go through what I went through as a child. So I decided to work harder and long hours to save for a place for my daughter and me. My daughter and I would constantly pray that God would open a door for us so we could have our own space again. It has been extremely hard to see my daughter struggle so much because of the condition we were in. thank God her sister in law and her sons were only there for 6 months which even though it was still tough at least it was as tough as when they were there. But then about two weeks ago I was asked by my mother to leave the house because her in-laws were coming to stay there too. They are old and in much need of attention since both of their parents have diabetes. Due to the fact that they came to stay I can no longer be there with my daughter. It is only a one-bedroom/one-bath apartment and it is not big enough for all of us. This has placed me in a hard situation where I don’t have a place to take my daughter. I have been staying at my employer’s job while I find a place for my daughter and I. It is not easy. I have cried many nights asking God why? I do know that he works in mysterious ways and all I can do it trust him 100%. Now my daughter doesn’t have a place to live and that’s why I am asking off the streets to please help me. I now have a good stable job that will help me pay for an apartment for my daughter and I. I know it won’t be easy but as a mother I am willing to do whatever it takes to provided a place for my daughter, a place to call home. Being homeless is not something I thought I would have to go through, specially my daughter. I need help and I hope you guys can help me.
Thank you, Cecilia

This family brings our placements this year to 180 and our grand total since we started OTS in 2014 up to 490. Read about our Campaign To House 1000 Homeless By 2020.