A Mom Works Toward Independence, Until Winter Throws Her a Curveball

$600 Keeps the Gas On

This family has been recommended by Crossroads Family Shelter.

K and her 21-month-old daughter don’t live in a shelter, and she’s vowed to keep it that way. A shelter is no place to raise a child.

A victim of domestic violence, she is determined to make a better life for her child. “It’s all I dream about,” she says. But she knows dreams aren’t enough.

Last June, they left shelter life on a program that offered a rent subsidy with job training. Eager to work her way up in the world, K jumped at the opportunity and earned a certificate in medical management this fall. But like a lot of recent graduates, she’s having a hard time finding a job.

Then winter brought more worries. An $80 summer gas bill became a $500 winter gas bill. And K was caught off guard.

With an income of $400, she’s learned to be resourceful, using food pantries and shelter donations to keep a cheerful home for her daughter. But her rent takes half that. And before she knew it, she owed the gas company $450. When they threatened to turn off the gas, she used some of her rent money to pay the bill. Now she’s behind with the rent.

Luckily, the toddler has no idea how precarious their life is at the moment. She’s happily putting sentences together and listening to her Mom read to her in her bright yellow room. And that’s just how K wants it to be.

By March 1, this family needs $600 to keep the gas on and pay the rent. Can you spare $5 so K can focus on her job search without this weight on her shoulders?

Crossroads Family Shelter has been assisting families struggling with the transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency from the heart of East Boston since 1985.