Please join us in congratulating Colby, Maria and their 2 kids for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own rental today. Due to illnesses related to their last rental and subsequent loss of employment, this family has been staying in hotels which has depleted their finances. After Colby contacted us we built a budget with them and after they found a rental that fit this budget, we were happy to pay their security deposit so they could move in. Read their story below, which shows that with a big enough crisis many of us could face the same situation.
Dear OTS,
Due to exposure of black toxic mold in our previous rental that was not remediated for several months, my family (my wife and two young children) and I became ill and I lost my job. After reporting the mold to Code Enforcement, paying out of pocket for a contractor to test it, and obtaining the services of an attorney (on a contingency basis), the landlord finally remediated but then attempted to evict us. We were able to secure legal aid and successfully defended against eviction, but had to move after 60 days while we continued our personal injury case. We moved out and have been without permanent or stable housing since May 30th, almost 3 months. Meanwhile, my family and I have been treated by our doctors for severe allergies, sinus infections and other issues related to mold-related illness. As we were not able to secure housing with family members, we had to store all of our belongings in two storage units and moved into a motel while I was looking for work. I was able to find employment, but most of our finances go towards our temporary housing in an Extended Stay America hotel while we searched for resources. My wife is employed by working 40 hours per week and I am now employed working 30 hours per week. We are seeking help with rental assistance from another organization and assistance with our security deposit from Off The Streets in an attempt to obtain a stable living environment. As we currently spend over $80.00 per day on our hotel room, many of our financial resources are spent on that rather than rent for a house or apartment. We found an apartment community less than a mile away from the school our children attend, which would cost us less than half of what we currently spend on housing, that accepts payments from organizations such as this one and we have already applied and have been approved without conditions. With the help of Off The Streets, we can move in on September 14th.
Thank you,
Colby and Maria
This family brings our placements this year to 135 and our grand total since we started OTS in 2014 up to 645. Read more about our charity at OTSHB.COM.