Help my homeless student
Donation protected
As a teacher for I have never asked for help like this before for one of my students and I hope I never have to again. I have seen a lot as a teacher who works in a low socio-economic area but I have never seen anything like this before.
This student and his siblings (I am changing the names for privacy) is homeless and destitute. John, Mary and Dave, ages 6, 8 and 5 respectively are living in an RV with their mother on someone else’s property, for free, in the middle of the desert near Mojave, CA. The father was deported one year ago. Mom, a U.S. citizen, has been left to care for her three children alone. The property that they live on has been deemed by social services to be unsafe due to a shooting incident not related to the children or their mother and they need to move. The mother exchanged her car for a motor home so that they would have somewhere to stay just in case. Now they need a place to park that motor home. The RV is in a dilapidated state; however, there are beds to sleep on. Mom does not have any income but cannot get a job living so far out of town and cannot get to the store easily. They have no family to help out and social services is suggesting a homeless shelter.
I would normally call social services and leave it in their hands but this is different. These are excellent kids with wonderful grades and a mom who loves and cares for them very much. On the first visit I saw the level of poverty. They have a backroom that they can use but they also stay in an RV with a leaky roof.
On follow-up visit, the little girl was resting on the mattress in the garage/backroom (not sure) because she was sick. If you saw what I saw you would be trying to help as well. I could not live with myself if I did not at least try to do something. So, I have a plan.
I found an RV park in the town of Mojave that is centrally located. There are public showers, coin operated washers and driers and utilities. The site is centrally located in Mojave. They would be walking distance from school and stores. The RV park is safer than where they are and offers them more opportunities to become self-sufficient. For the first three months the rental site is $115.oo per week including utilities. After three months, if she is a good tenant, she can go on a monthly plan at $185.00 plus electricity per month. My goal is $5,000. My biggest wish is to give them one years’ worth of rent to help them get back on their feet. Every penny that is collected will go towards their living costs. Site rental, coins for the laundry, electricity and repair the leaking roof of the RV.
She loves those kids and they are happy and well adjusted, which completely blows my mind considering their circumstances. She said to me that she wants them to appreciate what they have. She is sinking in quick sand with three amazing kids. Let’s pull them out of the quicksand so that they can become self-sufficient. We need to at least try. Sometimes we just need a chance, let’s give them a chance.
This student and his siblings (I am changing the names for privacy) is homeless and destitute. John, Mary and Dave, ages 6, 8 and 5 respectively are living in an RV with their mother on someone else’s property, for free, in the middle of the desert near Mojave, CA. The father was deported one year ago. Mom, a U.S. citizen, has been left to care for her three children alone. The property that they live on has been deemed by social services to be unsafe due to a shooting incident not related to the children or their mother and they need to move. The mother exchanged her car for a motor home so that they would have somewhere to stay just in case. Now they need a place to park that motor home. The RV is in a dilapidated state; however, there are beds to sleep on. Mom does not have any income but cannot get a job living so far out of town and cannot get to the store easily. They have no family to help out and social services is suggesting a homeless shelter.
I would normally call social services and leave it in their hands but this is different. These are excellent kids with wonderful grades and a mom who loves and cares for them very much. On the first visit I saw the level of poverty. They have a backroom that they can use but they also stay in an RV with a leaky roof.
On follow-up visit, the little girl was resting on the mattress in the garage/backroom (not sure) because she was sick. If you saw what I saw you would be trying to help as well. I could not live with myself if I did not at least try to do something. So, I have a plan.
I found an RV park in the town of Mojave that is centrally located. There are public showers, coin operated washers and driers and utilities. The site is centrally located in Mojave. They would be walking distance from school and stores. The RV park is safer than where they are and offers them more opportunities to become self-sufficient. For the first three months the rental site is $115.oo per week including utilities. After three months, if she is a good tenant, she can go on a monthly plan at $185.00 plus electricity per month. My goal is $5,000. My biggest wish is to give them one years’ worth of rent to help them get back on their feet. Every penny that is collected will go towards their living costs. Site rental, coins for the laundry, electricity and repair the leaking roof of the RV.
She loves those kids and they are happy and well adjusted, which completely blows my mind considering their circumstances. She said to me that she wants them to appreciate what they have. She is sinking in quick sand with three amazing kids. Let’s pull them out of the quicksand so that they can become self-sufficient. We need to at least try. Sometimes we just need a chance, let’s give them a chance.
Organiser
Lisa Butters-Massee
Organiser
Tehachapi, CA
