Help Keep Monica and Her Kids in Their Home

I first met Monica 5 years ago at my gym. She is a housekeeping attendant who would engage my spirit with a "hello, beautiful" each time she would see me.

This past holiday season I began to notice a change in her demeanor. I am retired some years from a long career in health care and am attuned to recognize trauma in the faces of those around me.

I gently questioned her, and asked her what she needed. She mentioned blankets and dishes. We (my daughter goes with me to the gym) brought these items to the gym for her.

She cried and told us we made her feel like a person. I cried with her.

Little by little, I was able to gain her trust and glean more of her history and current circumstances.

There are so many aspects to her story: unspeakable childhood trauma, the death of one of her children (Taylor, pictured above), homelessness, food insecurity, and enduring violence in a temporary living situation with a relative.

She has two gorgeous children. Erin is 16, she excels in school and loves the colors pink and dolphin gray. She also has terrible asthma that has required hospitalization. King (in the photo above with Monica) is 13, he is shy and reserved and loves math and science.

In the midst of so much trauma, Monica has been a solid employee with 15 years of employment at our local gym.

It should be noted that even with her job (the wage is appallingly low), and with Monica’s hyper-vigilant budgeting of money, her family is food insecure and will always be at risk of homelessness.

Multiple changes are needed for the long-term safety of this family.

In the last month, Monica and her kids were able to move away from their violent relative and have moved into a 3-bedroom duplex on a quiet street. This would not have been possibile without the initial funds from this fundraiser ($1230) and other donations given to me for her. Thank you!

Safe, stable, permanent housing is everything. Adults and kids have greater physical and behavioral health challenges when they move often, experience unsafe housing (mold, pests, mice, etc.), and are then at greater risk of homelessness as adults. Stable housing gives people hope, allows adults to work on other aspects of their lives such as better employment, and gives kids the emotional security to nurture their dreams and potential.

After their first night in the duplex, her daughter told her that it was the best night of sleep she’d had in four years.

And then great news!

After their move, Monica had a job interview scheduled as a cleaner for one of the local hospital systems. The starting pay would be nearly double her current wage.

And then terrible news.

Monica woke up one morning and could not move due to severe muscle spasms in her back.

And then… visits to the ER, the loss of days at work and the postponement of her job interview. As of today, she spends her mornings unable to straighten up completely but still manages to walk to her job at the gym.

This can’t go on.

Our most important goal for this fundraiser is to provide rent and food assistance as Monica heals her back and applies for better work. Bottom line, they must stay in this home.

All three of them have been sleeping on air mattresses for years. We want to buy them mattresses - this would be so helpful for Monica’s back.

And we would love to buy a used washer and dryer so they don’t have to lug laundry on the city bus to a laundromat. Monica’s time is much better spent on time with her children, self-care, and job hunting.

Their duplex has been made so beautiful, with the few possessions (donated through my church) that they have, due to all the love that Monica poured into making it into a home.

Any donation will help them stay where they belong... in this new home. No donation is too small.

If you are in the Milwaukee area and would like to donate an apartment-sized washer/dryer, dressers, or other household goods, please contact me via this fundraiser.

Recently, Monica told me that she spent a morning journaling about her hopes and dreams. Monica, Erin, and King deserve every chance so that their hopes and dreams are possible.

Thank you so much for being a part of changing their lives.