Little brief of our story on how we ended up here. My wife and I and three kids were staying at this family shelter here in Hayward. My kids are very young, still babies. I have a son that is 1, and two girls, one is 2 almost 3, and the oldest one is 4 almost 5. We had our own little room, and my kids like to play and be loud sometimes. They like to run around and stomp and just make noise; they're kids. After complaints from other families saying that my kids were too loud, that they didn’t get much sleep, and that they were calling in for work due to the noise, we were kicked out to the streets with nothing.

At the time, we only had two strollers, so we could only carry so much. They packed our stuff without telling us and put our things out front. At night, a family that was still staying there called us and informed us that our things were being gone through. With all that drama, I had no other option but to call the police that night to get some blankets for my kids because they were cold.

We got on the HMIS emergency system, which alerts shelters for families in need, but got no help there. So, we got a tent and have been sleeping inside of it until we get funds to afford a hotel. We got on the cash aid assistance with social services and we do have food stamps, but unfortunately, we used all the cash assistance and our funds to keep us in this hotel.

I'm also attending a welfare-to-work program, which has lined me up with a job with Caltrans. I’ve already done the interview, and they liked me, so they are pushing my application through, but it’s still in process and we are just waiting for a start date.

The donations would be used for keeping our family into the hotel until we could get back onto our feet.

Our plan right now is to try to come up with some funds to keep us in until next month. The donations would be used for keeping our kids and us into the hotel until we could get back onto our feet. Basic needs like clothes, diapers, wipes, toiletries . We are good till this Sunday, but unfortunately, we would have to go back outside in our tent that broke on us, so we are just trying to survive till next month. I’ll be working soon, hopefully. I’m sorry for this long message, but that’s where we are currently at this moment. Thank you for taking your precious time and hopefully understanding and support. God bless you and your family. Amen. The Rufino Family