My friend Renata Behymer and her 4 yr old son, Ian, have recently become homeless and broke when her husband Michael suddenly died on Sept. 8th, leaving them with very little money in their savings account and no insurance or enough social security to support them. Renata found out she is pregnant a week before Michael died (now 7 wks along), and doesn't have a job or source of income to support her and her family.

The lease expired on their apartment on Sept. 19th, so Renata and Ian are staying with friends and currently looking into staying at a shelter in the near future. She needs an address/place of residency in order to secure a decent job, so with the money raised, she will find a home for her and Ian, and basically start her life all over.

Renata is from Poland and spent 14 yrs living in CA where she became a US citizen. They moved to AZ 2yrs ago, and  her network of friends in Phoenix is much smaller than it was in CA. However, anyone who has met Renata, even if briefly, has felt her warmth and  enjoyed her always-cheerful disposition. It makes me sad to see such a loving and kind person and her 4 yr old son go thru so much loss and distress.

If Renata can't get enough funds to find a place to live and support herself and Ian (and the baby once it comes), she will have to go back to Poland and probably never return to the US.

Renata will be so thankful and appreciative of any contribution anyone can make to help her start her life over. All of this happened so suddenly and she is beside herself with all of the details, let alone wondering where she and Ian are going to live.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness.