Give Johan & Leidy's Family a Fresh Start

You’ve heard me talk about the Columbians. This is Johan, Leidy and their four children. They fled Columbia a year ago due to the violence and continued socio-economic challenges resulting from the on-going armed conflict between government forces, rebel groups, paramilitaries, and drug traffickers. They are here in Pittsburgh legally and trying to build a life for themselves.

The Bloomfield apartment where they have been living was absolutely terrible! Due to inadequate maintenance of the building by the out-of-town corporate slumlord, they had no gas - which meant no heat, no hot water, no way to cook - since the beginning of March! The County Health Dept inspector said he finds maybe 12 to 15 issues when inspecting housing. At Leidy & Johan’s he found 29 issues! The refuge relocation organization that they have been working with moved them to Extended Stay America out by the airport until they could find a safe and healthy place for them to live.

The move to the airport area made it VERY difficult for Jose and Andres to get to Arsenal School daily, for Leidy and Johan to get Hanna and Sebastian to daycare daily so that they could get to their jobs in Bloomfield and Downtown.

Thankfully, we were able to find them a clean, safe house to rent in Bloomfield. They are going to move in this weekend.

I’m hoping to raise some money for them to cover a couple of months rent to give them some breathing space. Leidy started a new job on Monday as a room attendant at the Renaissance Hotel. Johan is working as a painter for a contractor.

They are a lovely family. Hardworking. Despite the hardships they are facing, they are always positive and have a smile on their faces!

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the crazy in the world and wonder how I can make a positive difference. Well, here is one way I’ve found where we can make a positive difference in the lives of a family here in our community.

Would you please pitch in?