Homeless in CT - Beardsley Family

Hello, my name is Rebecca, and I am raising money to keep the Beardsley Family off the streets (Gabriela 7, Elizabeth 10, Brandon 13, Scarlett Mom, Ed Dad)

Here is an account of the major events that have brought this family to homelessness:

December 25: Happy Holidays! Thank you to the 44 people who donated money online to help pay for the Beardsley family's rent from Aug-Dec. Thank you to the various individuals who donated money, food, shelter, school supplies, furniture, clothing, care packages, legal assistance, prayers, and other forms of offline support. The landlord tells us that the family will be renewing their lease in January, and the mother has a job. Thank you again for making a difference in the lives of this family, specifically the 3 young children, ages 7, 10 and 13.

In Connecticut at least 75 families with kids are sleeping on the streets or in cars tonight, so I am grateful for the warm weather.

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy 2016!

Sep: The Beardsley kids are in school.  The family is settling into their apartment and the parents are looking for work.  In January we will reengage with the family to see how they are doing and if they need anything.

Aug 19: After a conference call with attorney Lauren P and Ed and Scarlett, a FedEx was sent to the Danbury Town Clerk and Stamford Town Clerk to request certified copies of Ed and Scarlett's birth certificates. Thank you Lauren P!  After a trip to Old Navy and Children's Place, and contributions from Barbara M, Wendy H, Willow B, and Jori M all of the supplies and uniforms have been purchased.  Thanks!

Aug 18: The family moved into their new apartment in Bridgeport, utilities are, and now they are settling in.  The kids will go to the Barnum School, http://bridgeport.ct.schoolwebpages.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=183

Aug 17: Today Ed signed the lease and picked-up the keys to his new apartment in Bridgeport.  The total lease was $4,580 (5-1/2 months rent + security + keys).  Available GoFundMe donations came to $2,988.40.  The additional $1,591.60 came from off-line donations.  Thank you to everyone who donated!

Aug 13: Dear Friends, the family has a 1 bedroom apartment waiting for them in Bridgeport. In order to obtain the apartment they need to pay $4,200 upfront. We are $2,376 short. Can you please share this story, right now every dollar helps. thank you!  Also, thank you Laura P for creating all of the legal documents and checks needed to obtain certified copies of Ed and Scarlett's birth certificates!

Aug 12: Today we dropped off the rental application.  The parents are not feeling well and were not able to get out for work, so we also borrowed $25 for food from the fund.

Aug 11: Thank you everyone for sharing the family's story and for donating your time, energy, and support to help the family. Today we received the rental application for the 1 bedroom in Bridgeport. We hope to have the family ready to move in there early next week. I'll provide an updated ledger later this week so we can see where we are at with donations. Thank you Alecia B for bringing in clothes for the dad, food, gift cards, and other items for the family. I will deliver these things to them later this week.

Aug 10, 2015: Scarlett applied for an office admin assistant, and Ed is missing his son already. We took a step back regarding legal documents, I went to the Stamford Town Clerk and we need the following to obtain Scarlett's birth certificate: Request for birth certificate via attorney on attorney letterhead, payment made by attorney to town clerk, request for birth certificate, and a release.  Good news, thanks to Lauren P the Beardsley family might be moving into a  1 BR apartment in Bridgeport, CT next week.  The landlord is requesting payment in full for the first 6 months, so we hope to raise $4200 through GoFundMe so that they can focus on a job search and making utilities.

Aug 9, 2015:  Scarlett submitted applications to two jobs in the Stamford CT area today.  Gabriela has a fever and is sick in bed, so Ed was not able to get out to work today.    Grazia O drove Brandon (with his mom) to camp, we will share pictures soon.

Aug 8, 2015: I contacted 2 local churches and brought the family lunch and dinner. The highlight... Grazia O took Brandon shopping for sleep away camp supplies and lunch!  Brandon had a wonderful experience - thank you Grazia for this experience.

Aug 7, 2015: We went to Person-to-Person and then Target to get the family some clothes and personal items.  I created a ledger so that you can see how your donations are being used. I captured work history and references from the parents so we can create resumes.  Ben B from Merrill Lynch was not able to open a bank account for the parents without legal documents.  We are waiting to hear back on some other items people are working on for the family, including fundraising, housing, etc.  Megan K generated legal documents to Request Certified Birth Certificates from Danbury and Stamford for Scarlett and Ed. Grazia O and http://www.standingrockcamp.org invited Brandon to attend sleep away camp this week, and he gratefully and happily accepted!


Aug 6, 2015: The family moved to a $75 night hotel in Stamford.  To get this rate we used your GoFundMe donations and pre-paid until Aug 13.  If they leave earlier they retroactively need to pay the full rate of $140 night.  I will proivde a breakdown of how your money is being used later today.  Aside from a certified marriage certificate, we still have no legal documentation for the family.  The parents are still looking for steady work vs. odd jobs.  Channel 12 is still looking into the story.  We might have a potential 1 BR appartment in Bridgeport.  Brandon has been invited to join a week of camp.  Thank you Lori C for bringing the family a hot homecooked meal.

Aug 5, 2015: We had a minor setback today.  Ed was not able to obtain a non-driver ID.  His ID expired 4 years ago, and now he needs to apply for a new one.  We don't have the legal documents to obtain one, so we are working to obtain thost documents.  Today the kids and mom to Chelsea Piers for drop-in Splash Zone and then lunch, they had a wonderful time, and it was great to see them smile. Willow B is dropping a home-cooked meal off at the hotel for the family.  Katie H donated a 3rd night off the streets at the Amsterdam Hotel in Stamford, CT.

Aug 4, 2015: Ed walked 2 miles to get a certified copy of his marriage license ($20). Today I talked with 211 CT Housing Specialist, Emily, who pointed me to Connecticut Legal Services in Stamford where we hope to setup the Beardsley family with a case manager or advocate. I also talked with the Department of Social Services, who has given the Beardsley family permission to use their Clinton Ave, Bridgeport CT address for mail and residency. We've talked with various shelters from Bridgeport to Stamford CT. We learned that there are over 250 families waiting for housing, and 47 of them are homeless, which is defined by living on the streets or in cars, the Beardsley family is one of the families. We also talked to the YMCA and other organizations. The YMCA said that they can only accommodate a family of 3 and maybe 4 if the 4th is a baby. There are limited places for a family of 5. Holly  S donated a 2nd night off the streets at the Amsterdam Hotel in Stamford, CT.

Aug 3, 2015: I did an initial round of fact checking on the family's story. I called 211, social services, the YMCA, P2P, various shelters, and turned to the internet and news for facts. I donated the first night off the streets at the Amseterdam Hotel in Stamford, CT.

Aug 3, 2015: Around 3:30 PM I watched as a family of 5 walked with their backpacks across a busy street in Stamford from Americas Best Inn to the nearby McDonald's. I asked the family if they needed help. The father said that they are homeless, moving hotels, and are getting lunch. I helped them with lunch, and took his cell phone number.

Jul 19-Aug 3, 2015: Family stayed at American’s Best Value Inn because it was the cheapest around, and the mother was born in Stamford.

Mar 26-Jul 18, 2015: The family was squatting on friend’s couch and in hotels as money became available through odd jobs.

Mar 20-26, 2015: Red Cross put the family up in the Stratford Motor Inn for 6 days. The family called 211 CT, completed an Intake, and are on the waiting list for shelter.

Mar 20, 2015: Lindley Street Fire
News coverage - http://blog.ctnews.com/newsdesk/2015/03/02/nine-homeless-after-blaze-on-lindley-street/#30948101=0
The Family lived on the 1st Floor and walked out safely.
[At the time the father worked as a cook at Red Lobster in Bridgeport until his employment was terminated due to diabetic neuropathy]

Dec 24, 2013: The family moved themselves to the Howard Johnson in Milford where hey stayed for 6 weeks until they found housing on Lindley Street in Bridgeport

Dec 20-24, 2013: Red Cross put the family up in the Stratford Motor Inn (formerly the Ramada Inn)

Dec 20, 2013: Noble Avenue Fire
News coverage (Beardsley family is mentioned in this article) - http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Fire-leaves-12-homeless-burns-Christmas-gifts-5085050.php