hope for the homeless family of 8
Donation protected
We bought a home to help house a single mother and her 7 young children. The eight of them escaped domestic violence with limited supplies, going as far as the money in her pocket would take them and knowing no one. Fortunately, they have been living in a protective shelter for months at this point, however it is a tight fit with 8 people in 1 room. Realizing the desperate need, we determined to help the family. We’ve been doing what we can to help this family find a comfortable, safe, and affordable home. After searching, the perfect home was found with the help of a friend and realtor. Sure, we could have found an apartment, but one to comfortably fit a family of eight is practically nonexistent. As soon as we stepped into the potential home, we knew it was perfect. The sellers had higher offers but decided that our mission was aligned with what their parents would have wanted for the future of their home. We paid over double our available budget because this family is worth it. It just so happens that we listened to God’s prompting, encouragement and direction. Now we are going to be renting out this home to this single mother and her 7 wonderful children. This is only the beginning of an amazing story. So here we are. We have faith we will receive the help and encouragement needed.
Our Vision Is:
To provide an amazing home that is structurally sound and safe. We see the family moving into the house with rooms full of furniture (7 children's beds will be provided by Sleep in Heavenly Peace - a local organization). We see a kitchen having a full set of dishes, utensils, and the refrigerator, freezer full of fresh food and milk and a pantry topped with all the staples to make amazing healthy meals. We see windows dressed in style to bring in the light for the family. We see a dining room table with 10-12 chairs that will be used for the Sunday family meetings that mom has made a tradition as part of the kids lives since they could walk. We see a yard in which the children can run, laugh and play and have fresh air. We envision a home to be a place where life can grow, thrive, and dream of a new start and a bright future. We see a community coming together to help this family. We hope to find a church organization that will help their souls heal and sing and continue their spiritual journey. We believe it will be life changing and put the children on a trajectory of greatness filled with confidence and self-worth. What greater gift can we give than HOPE for a brighter, safer and worthy future!?
*We are also accepting other donations: grocery store gift cards, Target gift cards, Lowe's gift cards, new shoes, patio furniture, outdoor toys, cars, trucks, trains, puzzles, board games, card games etc. *
(update: we received a great number of items and have been passing the extra items on to others in need, so no more items can be accepted at this time, thank you all who have provided and would be willing to provide. Any gift cards will be directly passed along to the family)
Read on if you want to know more about the back story:
My name is Ms. Ek or "Coach" to the kids. I am an elementary school PE teacher, and I just did something that frightens me yet, at the same time, overwhelms me with the GREATEST JOY I have ever felt!!!! Let me tell you how it started:
Early this year, in first period, a new student came into my class, all disheveled wearing worn out clothes but she is the sweetest little girl with the best manners. Next period, I met another new student with the same mannerisms, and of course they were siblings. It didn't end there, the family was huge and because I teach PE I see all the students in the whole school throughout the week. I eventually find out there are 7 kids in this family. They all had the same sweet demeanor, despite their circumstances, they embraced me with hugs like I have never felt before.
After about a week of school, I connected with their mom to tell them what a joy they were to have in my class I found out a little bit of her back story and some of their needs. Over the next couple months we would open up more about our lives. I felt I had to do something, having 4 kids myself of similar ages. I dug through my kids clothes and kept a box of them in my office. With mom's permission, as the kids would come into school I would pull them aside and have them take off their dirty worn out clothes and shoes and give them a newer clean set. Their appreciation just made them glow and it warmed my heart to see their self-confidence boosted.
Eventually, I found out the entire story why they were in the poor state I met them in. They had escaped domestic violence and were displaced and now in a protective shelter. The school social worker has been an amazing liaison and advocate through all this and we have been teaming up together to do whatever we can, including trying to find an affordable, safe, clean apartment to rent. I have not yet met the mother face to face because of the confidential safe house she is in, although I hope to soon. I can't wait to share with her what amazing things have transpired behind the scenes.
The 7 children and their mother have been in this ONE room shelter for months. The dire situation for housing is on the forefront of our minds, we made a list of the ‘must haves’ for the family. Number one was a structurally safe place to live that was clean of mold, mildew and asbestos. Next on the list was move in ready, with furniture and minimal renovations. Lastly, we wrote down we needed a safe neighborhood that was near a bus stop so mom could have access to transportation to access a grocery store, a job, and other needs.
We have been apartment hunting and house hunting since the winter months! It has been daunting and discouraging to say the least. The available apartments and homes that can fit a family of 8 are nearly nonexistent. The places that are available are broken and dirty to the point that the environment wouldn’t be safe for any of them. Most of these were not even worth my time to even consider. I felt myself lowering the bar. This made me sick to my stomach. How could such a huge community have no housing in good enough shape for a displaced family in need?
This is the point that I decided I needed to reach out beyond my comfort zone. I realized that I have a house with furniture and food and heat. I have a house that my family is safe and mostly comfortable. I have a house with a couple bathrooms just for us. It just isn’t fair that my family has this but that family does not. I decided that I will put my all into this hunt, not just to find a place for them to rent, but to actually purchase a place for them to rent and call home.
I put together a list of 20 homes within my budget of 40-70 thousand dollars. I called a very good friend of mine and shared the story with her. She is also a realtor and together we set out to look at several homes over the course of 3 days. As we were driving to a house on my list, I was drawn to a home that appeared to be glowing and wondered why it wasn’t on my list. We continued on looking at another home nearby that was in need of extensive renovation and the other house over took my thoughts. When I inquired with my realtor, she chuckled and said that the home that we drove by was wayyyyyyy out of our price range. I responded with, “well, let’s just go see it for fun to know what’s on the other end of the spectrum to compare it to.” We walked in and immediately felt like this was the home God was calling us to buy for her and those 7 beautiful children of hers. My husband said, “This is it! This is the home.” I wished that it wasn’t the home considering how expensive it was but the longer we were there, the more I saw all the amazing things like new carpeting, windows, paint, new kitchen, two new bathrooms, 5 bedrooms and a new roof! We just couldn’t pass it up! We decided to offer a very low figure that was still higher than our budget amount, can you believe $115 thousand (we couldn't)? As my husband and I talked and prayed about it I was sure that we should offer more money. Bill came up with an amount that I thought was insane! $145,588.00 this was over double what our original budget was. Then we prayed, “Dear God, please, if it is not meant to be let this offer fall through. If it is meant to be then bring family and friends alongside of us to bless this displaced family and set them on a path of greatness.” I called my realtor friend and she clearly expressed her thought that I was just plain nuts. She put the offer in for us.
Earlier, when we considered “lowering the bar” on the type of house or apartment, we were thinking that we could find them grant money from some not for profit to help with repairs. I was thinking even if they couldn’t get money then at least a house with more than one room and their own private bathroom would be enough, even if the paint was peeling and there were holes in the walls and a leaky roof. Anything would be better than being hidden away in a one room shelter with no privacy. We could put them in a rundown house or a fixer upper however there is no grant money from anywhere that would give a tenant money to fix up their landlords home. Grant money is only for owner occupied housing and there was no way this mom could afford to by even the cheapest house. We decided that if we were going to buy a house to help a family then we would only buy the best we could afford. This was no longer about just getting them by. This has become a mission to show a family that they are worth it. A mission to take a family that had endured some of the greatest hardships life can dish out and put them in a place they would never dare dream. It is no longer about giving out of abundance but digging deep and risking our own comfort to set another family on a trajectory in life that will change their family values. A fixer-upper would only reflect what they know but a beautiful finished house full of furniture and dishes and linens and a pantry full of food would shine brightly on their souls and lift them up to a level they didn’t dare consider.
We got the call the next day, the sellers received many offers and several were higher than ours. We thought that we were being told that we wouldn’t get the house. Shamefully there was a moment of relief in that, a little comfort knowing that we wouldn’t be stretching beyond our means. Then we were told that the sellers’ agent followed up with the sellers telling them the reason we were looking to buy the home because our realtor had conspicuously shared it with them. THIS is why our offer was accepted over the higher offers because we were buying not for ourselves but to bring life to a family that otherwise wouldn’t have it. The sellers had grown up in the home and were selling it as an estate. They felt that it would hold a better place in their heart to help another family that could also grow up there instead of just taking the extra money. Then to make even more of an impact the sellers offered to help with furnishing the home. God works in so many ways and is showing us that this truly is the right decision.
THIS IS MY HUSBANDS STORY:
Hi, my name is Bill, I am the husband in this adventure. I am so lucky to have a wife with such a huge heart. We won’t be able to do this on our own. We have faith that we will receive the help and the encouragement we need to make it happen because it is for the right reasons. As we look at our budget, our 6 member family, will be eating rice and beans for some time. The cost of this endeavor is currently outside the scope of what we can easily afford. This is ok, just knowing that we are able to help others in this process far out reaches any financial comfort we could ever have. The numbers are simple, We are paying $145,588 for the house. Then there are closing costs, taxes, insurance, eventual repairs and more. The house is amazing with newly remodeled kitchen and updated baths. However, the furnace is ancient and will need replacing in the near future. Just to think that any house can withstand the energy of 7 growing children and not need any repairs is insane!! I know that things will wear out and break, as our 4 rambunctious children have shown with our house.
We want to provide for this family in a way that they can sustain the dream we plan on handing them. We are not doing it for free. We will be asking for rent. At first, it will be coming through public assistance. Then after a while, she will be paying us on her own. We will accept what the program guidelines provide as her full rent, but it will be far below what our own monthly payment is. I am hoping the public assistance will at least cover the school and town taxes each year. If the mom makes over a certain amount, the rent program will pay less expecting the mom to make up the difference. We do not want to add a financial hardship to this family, we are doing this to provide a new beginning for them. We will accept whatever she is able to pay AFTER feeding and clothing her children. This is why we need help. We cannot do it alone. We too have to feed and clothe our own family and keep our home safe and dry. Our vehicles are old and we are choosing to forgo newer vehicles, vacations, dining out at restaurants and other "luxuries" to provide this home for the family.
The numbers are simple. In order to keep the house safe and up to date it will cost about $900 a month. Then, add the mortgage which is $1500 a month and then some utilities at about $400 a month.
Just to keep that home operating without a profit would a rental price tag of $2800 a month. If we are able to raise the funds to pay for the home then we will be able to afford to maintain this home for the family with minimum financial burden. If we exceed our goal? I hope this is only the beginning and we are able to help more families in need and set the children on a path of great self-worth and confidence.
Put yourself in this mother's position. Imagine, living under the thumb of a physically and mentally abusive person. Imagine, always in fear of the next encounter with vengeful aggression. Imagine, living in a place where you didn’t know when the next meal would come or if it would even be filling. Imagine, being uprooted from what you knew and placed in a group home. At least in the group home it is clean and dry and food is available but you didn’t know anyone. Imagine, the fear that you would have to return to the first place you knew because it was the only one available. Imagine, not being able to dream of freedom and peace because you don’t know what it is.
NOW IMAGINE, being given a life where sleep is restful, the future is bright and your needs are provided for. THIS is what YOU are doing by donating to us. YOU are helping us give and bring life with abundance to a family. Imagine, changing 7 children’s view of what life is from darkness to light, from struggle to peace. 8 lives that would otherwise be snuffed out under the weight and darkness of this world, will NOW have their flames fanned so they can grow and burn brightly for others to see. How many more can we help? Why not dream bigger?
Our Vision Is:
To provide an amazing home that is structurally sound and safe. We see the family moving into the house with rooms full of furniture (7 children's beds will be provided by Sleep in Heavenly Peace - a local organization). We see a kitchen having a full set of dishes, utensils, and the refrigerator, freezer full of fresh food and milk and a pantry topped with all the staples to make amazing healthy meals. We see windows dressed in style to bring in the light for the family. We see a dining room table with 10-12 chairs that will be used for the Sunday family meetings that mom has made a tradition as part of the kids lives since they could walk. We see a yard in which the children can run, laugh and play and have fresh air. We envision a home to be a place where life can grow, thrive, and dream of a new start and a bright future. We see a community coming together to help this family. We hope to find a church organization that will help their souls heal and sing and continue their spiritual journey. We believe it will be life changing and put the children on a trajectory of greatness filled with confidence and self-worth. What greater gift can we give than HOPE for a brighter, safer and worthy future!?
*We are also accepting other donations: grocery store gift cards, Target gift cards, Lowe's gift cards, new shoes, patio furniture, outdoor toys, cars, trucks, trains, puzzles, board games, card games etc. *
(update: we received a great number of items and have been passing the extra items on to others in need, so no more items can be accepted at this time, thank you all who have provided and would be willing to provide. Any gift cards will be directly passed along to the family)
Read on if you want to know more about the back story:
My name is Ms. Ek or "Coach" to the kids. I am an elementary school PE teacher, and I just did something that frightens me yet, at the same time, overwhelms me with the GREATEST JOY I have ever felt!!!! Let me tell you how it started:
Early this year, in first period, a new student came into my class, all disheveled wearing worn out clothes but she is the sweetest little girl with the best manners. Next period, I met another new student with the same mannerisms, and of course they were siblings. It didn't end there, the family was huge and because I teach PE I see all the students in the whole school throughout the week. I eventually find out there are 7 kids in this family. They all had the same sweet demeanor, despite their circumstances, they embraced me with hugs like I have never felt before.
After about a week of school, I connected with their mom to tell them what a joy they were to have in my class I found out a little bit of her back story and some of their needs. Over the next couple months we would open up more about our lives. I felt I had to do something, having 4 kids myself of similar ages. I dug through my kids clothes and kept a box of them in my office. With mom's permission, as the kids would come into school I would pull them aside and have them take off their dirty worn out clothes and shoes and give them a newer clean set. Their appreciation just made them glow and it warmed my heart to see their self-confidence boosted.
Eventually, I found out the entire story why they were in the poor state I met them in. They had escaped domestic violence and were displaced and now in a protective shelter. The school social worker has been an amazing liaison and advocate through all this and we have been teaming up together to do whatever we can, including trying to find an affordable, safe, clean apartment to rent. I have not yet met the mother face to face because of the confidential safe house she is in, although I hope to soon. I can't wait to share with her what amazing things have transpired behind the scenes.
The 7 children and their mother have been in this ONE room shelter for months. The dire situation for housing is on the forefront of our minds, we made a list of the ‘must haves’ for the family. Number one was a structurally safe place to live that was clean of mold, mildew and asbestos. Next on the list was move in ready, with furniture and minimal renovations. Lastly, we wrote down we needed a safe neighborhood that was near a bus stop so mom could have access to transportation to access a grocery store, a job, and other needs.
We have been apartment hunting and house hunting since the winter months! It has been daunting and discouraging to say the least. The available apartments and homes that can fit a family of 8 are nearly nonexistent. The places that are available are broken and dirty to the point that the environment wouldn’t be safe for any of them. Most of these were not even worth my time to even consider. I felt myself lowering the bar. This made me sick to my stomach. How could such a huge community have no housing in good enough shape for a displaced family in need?
This is the point that I decided I needed to reach out beyond my comfort zone. I realized that I have a house with furniture and food and heat. I have a house that my family is safe and mostly comfortable. I have a house with a couple bathrooms just for us. It just isn’t fair that my family has this but that family does not. I decided that I will put my all into this hunt, not just to find a place for them to rent, but to actually purchase a place for them to rent and call home.
I put together a list of 20 homes within my budget of 40-70 thousand dollars. I called a very good friend of mine and shared the story with her. She is also a realtor and together we set out to look at several homes over the course of 3 days. As we were driving to a house on my list, I was drawn to a home that appeared to be glowing and wondered why it wasn’t on my list. We continued on looking at another home nearby that was in need of extensive renovation and the other house over took my thoughts. When I inquired with my realtor, she chuckled and said that the home that we drove by was wayyyyyyy out of our price range. I responded with, “well, let’s just go see it for fun to know what’s on the other end of the spectrum to compare it to.” We walked in and immediately felt like this was the home God was calling us to buy for her and those 7 beautiful children of hers. My husband said, “This is it! This is the home.” I wished that it wasn’t the home considering how expensive it was but the longer we were there, the more I saw all the amazing things like new carpeting, windows, paint, new kitchen, two new bathrooms, 5 bedrooms and a new roof! We just couldn’t pass it up! We decided to offer a very low figure that was still higher than our budget amount, can you believe $115 thousand (we couldn't)? As my husband and I talked and prayed about it I was sure that we should offer more money. Bill came up with an amount that I thought was insane! $145,588.00 this was over double what our original budget was. Then we prayed, “Dear God, please, if it is not meant to be let this offer fall through. If it is meant to be then bring family and friends alongside of us to bless this displaced family and set them on a path of greatness.” I called my realtor friend and she clearly expressed her thought that I was just plain nuts. She put the offer in for us.
Earlier, when we considered “lowering the bar” on the type of house or apartment, we were thinking that we could find them grant money from some not for profit to help with repairs. I was thinking even if they couldn’t get money then at least a house with more than one room and their own private bathroom would be enough, even if the paint was peeling and there were holes in the walls and a leaky roof. Anything would be better than being hidden away in a one room shelter with no privacy. We could put them in a rundown house or a fixer upper however there is no grant money from anywhere that would give a tenant money to fix up their landlords home. Grant money is only for owner occupied housing and there was no way this mom could afford to by even the cheapest house. We decided that if we were going to buy a house to help a family then we would only buy the best we could afford. This was no longer about just getting them by. This has become a mission to show a family that they are worth it. A mission to take a family that had endured some of the greatest hardships life can dish out and put them in a place they would never dare dream. It is no longer about giving out of abundance but digging deep and risking our own comfort to set another family on a trajectory in life that will change their family values. A fixer-upper would only reflect what they know but a beautiful finished house full of furniture and dishes and linens and a pantry full of food would shine brightly on their souls and lift them up to a level they didn’t dare consider.
We got the call the next day, the sellers received many offers and several were higher than ours. We thought that we were being told that we wouldn’t get the house. Shamefully there was a moment of relief in that, a little comfort knowing that we wouldn’t be stretching beyond our means. Then we were told that the sellers’ agent followed up with the sellers telling them the reason we were looking to buy the home because our realtor had conspicuously shared it with them. THIS is why our offer was accepted over the higher offers because we were buying not for ourselves but to bring life to a family that otherwise wouldn’t have it. The sellers had grown up in the home and were selling it as an estate. They felt that it would hold a better place in their heart to help another family that could also grow up there instead of just taking the extra money. Then to make even more of an impact the sellers offered to help with furnishing the home. God works in so many ways and is showing us that this truly is the right decision.
THIS IS MY HUSBANDS STORY:
Hi, my name is Bill, I am the husband in this adventure. I am so lucky to have a wife with such a huge heart. We won’t be able to do this on our own. We have faith that we will receive the help and the encouragement we need to make it happen because it is for the right reasons. As we look at our budget, our 6 member family, will be eating rice and beans for some time. The cost of this endeavor is currently outside the scope of what we can easily afford. This is ok, just knowing that we are able to help others in this process far out reaches any financial comfort we could ever have. The numbers are simple, We are paying $145,588 for the house. Then there are closing costs, taxes, insurance, eventual repairs and more. The house is amazing with newly remodeled kitchen and updated baths. However, the furnace is ancient and will need replacing in the near future. Just to think that any house can withstand the energy of 7 growing children and not need any repairs is insane!! I know that things will wear out and break, as our 4 rambunctious children have shown with our house.
We want to provide for this family in a way that they can sustain the dream we plan on handing them. We are not doing it for free. We will be asking for rent. At first, it will be coming through public assistance. Then after a while, she will be paying us on her own. We will accept what the program guidelines provide as her full rent, but it will be far below what our own monthly payment is. I am hoping the public assistance will at least cover the school and town taxes each year. If the mom makes over a certain amount, the rent program will pay less expecting the mom to make up the difference. We do not want to add a financial hardship to this family, we are doing this to provide a new beginning for them. We will accept whatever she is able to pay AFTER feeding and clothing her children. This is why we need help. We cannot do it alone. We too have to feed and clothe our own family and keep our home safe and dry. Our vehicles are old and we are choosing to forgo newer vehicles, vacations, dining out at restaurants and other "luxuries" to provide this home for the family.
The numbers are simple. In order to keep the house safe and up to date it will cost about $900 a month. Then, add the mortgage which is $1500 a month and then some utilities at about $400 a month.
Just to keep that home operating without a profit would a rental price tag of $2800 a month. If we are able to raise the funds to pay for the home then we will be able to afford to maintain this home for the family with minimum financial burden. If we exceed our goal? I hope this is only the beginning and we are able to help more families in need and set the children on a path of great self-worth and confidence.
Put yourself in this mother's position. Imagine, living under the thumb of a physically and mentally abusive person. Imagine, always in fear of the next encounter with vengeful aggression. Imagine, living in a place where you didn’t know when the next meal would come or if it would even be filling. Imagine, being uprooted from what you knew and placed in a group home. At least in the group home it is clean and dry and food is available but you didn’t know anyone. Imagine, the fear that you would have to return to the first place you knew because it was the only one available. Imagine, not being able to dream of freedom and peace because you don’t know what it is.
NOW IMAGINE, being given a life where sleep is restful, the future is bright and your needs are provided for. THIS is what YOU are doing by donating to us. YOU are helping us give and bring life with abundance to a family. Imagine, changing 7 children’s view of what life is from darkness to light, from struggle to peace. 8 lives that would otherwise be snuffed out under the weight and darkness of this world, will NOW have their flames fanned so they can grow and burn brightly for others to see. How many more can we help? Why not dream bigger?
If we can raise funds to pay for this home, then we will be able to afford to maintain this home for the family so their mom will not have the burden of paying for unaffordable housing while raising her seven kids.
If we get more — we hope this is only the beginning. Maybe we can help more families in need, setting more children on a path of great self-worth and confidence?
We greatly appreciate whatever you can provide to help us make this family’s dream a reality. Step into a greater purpose and make a leap into this journey. In memory and thanks to my relationship with with Bill Scott, J Brown and Flo Cora for their friendships, love, smile and willingness to do more!!!
Organizer
Maryam Ek Kaufman
Organizer
Bridgeport, NY