This month has started off with tremendous momentum already. We really "cleaned house" last month and now we have twelve homes with very stable and quiet people. None of you who are reading this will probably really understand what that means but trust me, it is a good thing! I went to court for the first time against a client of ours that we asked to move out. This person was given an eviction notice to leave the premises in five days with a heads up prior to and an opportunity to not have an eviction on their record. None the less this client did not want that to happen but only to make more stress and trouble for all. In the end this person stole everything they could possibly take from the house that was not too heavy, including the toilet paper, paper towels and ALL the spices in the kitchen. We found out later that the same person was caught stealing from Walmart! Makes me pause for a moment and remember that we cannot save or help everyone.
Remember the couple I wrote about last month? The folks who left without paying for three months of rent? To clarify, this couple paid on time and every month for one full year. That is why we gave them the benefit of the doubt. The wife contacted me about one week ago. She let me know that she had spent 9 days in ICU and that she now suffers from severe COPD. She has quit smoking now which is a plus. She is safe and she has left her husband because he could no longer take care of her! (No surprise there I suppose). She merely wanted me to know that she was safe and thanked me for all that we had been able to do for her. I was happy to hear that, and I am sure we will keep in touch here and there. When folks leave on their own or otherwise, they continue to keep in touch and sometimes they circle back and live with us again.
This winter has definitely spilled over into our springtime with so much snow. More snow than we have had in this area in decades. The calls never stop coming into our office for housing. Every week I pray for wisdom and try to help as many as we can. We are planning on opening one more home this year. This will take six more people off the streets or out of motel rooms and that's a good thing!