Family In Need.  Can You Help?

 Linda is a mother of 5.  She lives in Ontario in a local hotel with her husband and five children.  Upon meeting Linda she tries to make life as normal for herself and her children as possible.  Her Husband Rick has a job walking distance from the hotel and he works 40 hours a week.  There are five other families in this hotel.  The children all go to the local public school.  The school made special arrangements and made a special bus stop at the hotels for the homeless children in the area.  Linda like so many mothers wants to give her children a normal life but at this time the best she can do is make their small hotel room home.  The children eat breakfast and lunch at school and hopefully they will have dinner if there is any money left over.  They pay $1500 a month and there is hardly any money left for food.  Most people are astonished at the amount of rent that they pay and wonder why they dont just rent an apartment.  One of the first problems they encounter is that they have 5 children.  Most places dont want to rent to very large families.  Competition for apartments is very tight.  A family with 2 children is more appealing and when there are many applications for one apartment of house the chances are slim to none to be approved.  Another problem that Linda faces is that she is bipolar.  She needs medication but is not always able to pay for it.  Its too expensive to buy and she doesnt qualify for medical.  Her husband makes enough money but his check is garnished for past bills he owes.  The family has been paying on bills for the past 2 years.  They have maintained in hotels for 2yrs and have paid on bills that they were in debt to.  Now they need to find a home for their family.  They have tried to maintain and the children have gone without so that they could survive.  When a family lives in a hotel for so long its hard to even imagine ever getting a real home.  This family needs a second chance.   They need counseling to deal with the emotional stress that they have undergone.  They have been attending Grace Community Church for the past year.  The church has helped them to pay for the hotel when Ricks hours were short.  Theyve helped the family with food and also pick them up on Sunday to take them to church.    The church has seeked to help the other families in the hotel.  They have set up transportation to church from the hotel and have given food baskets to the families after church.    What can someone do to help this family get truly on their feet.  How can you help them?  Right now the family needs to live close to the job Rick has because they do not have a car.  One way to assist them would be to donate a car you do not want.  You could possibly donate it to your local church and request that the church give it to this family.  Do you have an apartment that they can rent?  Since they pay the hotel weekly its really hard for them to have money for a deposit.  Maybe they can make payments on a deposit.  Their credit may not be at the best but the fact that they have maintained in a hotel for 2 years shows stability.  What can you do to help this family.  Contact A Christian Place Magazine if you would like to help them.  909-476-0551