NAM Offers Hope To Family In Need
Every family goes through day to day struggles, and the Brown family is no different. When John was offered work in the Houston area, he moved himself and his wife Laura and daughter, Mary, from the Baton Rouge area. John said he, "felt like this was the right thing to do." When the job did not work out as planned, John took temporary work here and there, and eventually the burden of bills and living expenses became too much to bear and the family ended up on the street.
Too often, families find themselves alone and out on the street with no shelter and nothing to eat, and so many times this is a result of any number of unforeseen circumstances. Families who find themselves alone, facing what seem insurmountable odds, are able to turn to Northwest Assistance Ministries, NAM, and Interfaith Hospitality Network, IHN, for help during this crisis.
When almost all hope was lost, the Browns turned to NAM for help. Laura remembered, "I thought that I had reached the end of my rope, and I was unsure what would have happened to my family if NAM and the IHN program had not come along."
After the family was settled into the program, Mary was enrolled in a local school and later in after-school day-care. John and Laura now had time to create resumes and secure Texas State I.D.'s, so that they could each further their search for employment. After only a month of being in the IHN program, both John and Laura had secured employment and began their jobs at a hospital and department store, respectively.
IHN is able to offer needy families hope for the future, with guidance and personal attention along the way to better the lives of these individuals. The services offered by IHN include shelter and food provided by 18 IHN congregations on a rotating basis. During the day, guests spend their time at NAM's day center, where they are able to focus on empowering themselves for a successful transition into mainstream society.
Each and every day, as many as 10,000 Houstonians are literally homeless. Guests who enter into IHN represent this growing population of families in our area who are facing homelessness or are currently homeless.
IHN provides an opportunity for individuals to have safety and shelter, so that they are able to take time out to put their lives back together in a safe environment. John stated, "I am so grateful that I was able to have the time and resources to find a job, so that I could begin supporting my family again. You will never know how much that means to me or how it has affected me."
As the family continued in the IHN program, they were able to save money, to help to secure an independent future. Through the family's continued achievements in the right direction, NAM was able to provide the Brown family a donated vehicle, which opened many doors for them and continues to allow them to maintain their jobs.
After three and a half months in the program, John, Laura and Mary were ready to graduate from IHN. At this point in their journey, the Brown family was able to move to another program hosted at NAM, the Supportive Housing program. Through the Supportive Housing program, John, Laura and Mary have been able to gain an education, which has enabled them to increase their income. The Supportive Housing program has also been able to provide an apartment for the family, which is paid for, and help with any additional costs that the family might incur on their way back to independence.
Both the IHN program and the Supportive Housing program have enabled this family and many others like them to have a solid fresh start for their lives. They were able to learn to consider a new approach to things in their life, given time to learn new skills, given time to regain self-confidence and given time to step out again and claim the life that is possible with a community of support.
Laura said, "The comfort of knowing we had somewhere to come home to and feel safe, was much more than I ever could have asked for. All I can say is thank you."
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