Home for the Owens Family
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My name is Melody and I am writing this on behalf of my parents, Dale and Debbie Owens. I am starting this fund raiser so I can help them find a safe place to live. Currently, they are living in a motel. This has been their home for the last week. My dad, Dale, and my brother, Devin, have been living in their car for the last year and a half. My mother was living with me, up until a month ago, when she found a roommate. Last Tuesday, her roommate said she was going to visit her brother for an extended period of time, and my mother had to leave the apartment that day.
Let me get into a little history. My father was shot during a car jacking on Jan 2, 2008. My father was taking a coworker home, it was a bright, sunny day, mid afternoon. The shooting left my father with a paralyzed left arm, which subsequently left him without a job - he was a construction worker. Their string of bad luck has not stopped since that very day. They lost their home due to my father not having income and moved into a cheaper rental. The mortgage on the rental wasn’t being paid by the homeowner, so it got foreclosed on, and they lost that home. One thing has lead to another, which has led them to where they are today - homeless.
Both of my parents are disabled. My mother was injured at work years before my father was shot. She’s had multiple back surgeries, and still has more to go. She has other health issues that prevent her from holding a job. My father was recently diagnosed with skin cancer - Basel cell carcinoma - and will need surgery to remove. Because he has been sleeping in a car, he’s been hospitalized on more than one occasion for non-healing wounds. This is not a proper situation for someone that is about to go through cancer treatment.
Their monthly income from SSI is approximately $1400 between the two of them. My mother has been able to save around $1000, but she has spent every last penny on the motel room and food for the three of them, and is now back to nothing. The vehicle my father and brother have been living in, needs work so it can run properly again, but the funds to repair it just are not there at this time.
With this fund raiser, I am hoping to get enough to get them into a home of their own. They are 62 and 60, and would qualify for an adult community. I was hoping to find an inexpensive condo in Century Village or the like. They need nothing fancy, just a roof and a safe place to land. My parents are good people, and just have been dealt a horrible hand the last 12 years. I am trying to do everything I possibly can to make this happen for them. The pain in my heart listening to my mothers voice break when she said she spent her money on the motel is something I cannot get out of my head. She’s broken.
As I am sure the questions will come in: Yes, they have reached out to every resource that was given to them, from shelters, to the Lewis Center, churches, etc. Calls go unanswered. Voicemails don’t get returned. Messages state “don’t leave more than one message, we will get back to you…” and they do not. They were asked to prove they are homeless by getting a letter from a church, but the church my father has been attending won’t assist with the letter. They know their situation as they briefly allowed my dad and brother to park their car behind the church to sleep. There are no resources for homeless, disabled seniors. There is no help for them. They have tried.
Every penny will be going to my parents. I am working hard to give them everything I can, but can only do so much by myself. We appreciate every penny. If you can’t donate, please share and pray that something comes up quickly. Their motel room is $400/week. They are looking for something cheaper in the mean time, but are currently at the Colonial Village Motel on Lake Worth Road.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and share this. God bless.
Let me get into a little history. My father was shot during a car jacking on Jan 2, 2008. My father was taking a coworker home, it was a bright, sunny day, mid afternoon. The shooting left my father with a paralyzed left arm, which subsequently left him without a job - he was a construction worker. Their string of bad luck has not stopped since that very day. They lost their home due to my father not having income and moved into a cheaper rental. The mortgage on the rental wasn’t being paid by the homeowner, so it got foreclosed on, and they lost that home. One thing has lead to another, which has led them to where they are today - homeless.
Both of my parents are disabled. My mother was injured at work years before my father was shot. She’s had multiple back surgeries, and still has more to go. She has other health issues that prevent her from holding a job. My father was recently diagnosed with skin cancer - Basel cell carcinoma - and will need surgery to remove. Because he has been sleeping in a car, he’s been hospitalized on more than one occasion for non-healing wounds. This is not a proper situation for someone that is about to go through cancer treatment.
Their monthly income from SSI is approximately $1400 between the two of them. My mother has been able to save around $1000, but she has spent every last penny on the motel room and food for the three of them, and is now back to nothing. The vehicle my father and brother have been living in, needs work so it can run properly again, but the funds to repair it just are not there at this time.
With this fund raiser, I am hoping to get enough to get them into a home of their own. They are 62 and 60, and would qualify for an adult community. I was hoping to find an inexpensive condo in Century Village or the like. They need nothing fancy, just a roof and a safe place to land. My parents are good people, and just have been dealt a horrible hand the last 12 years. I am trying to do everything I possibly can to make this happen for them. The pain in my heart listening to my mothers voice break when she said she spent her money on the motel is something I cannot get out of my head. She’s broken.
As I am sure the questions will come in: Yes, they have reached out to every resource that was given to them, from shelters, to the Lewis Center, churches, etc. Calls go unanswered. Voicemails don’t get returned. Messages state “don’t leave more than one message, we will get back to you…” and they do not. They were asked to prove they are homeless by getting a letter from a church, but the church my father has been attending won’t assist with the letter. They know their situation as they briefly allowed my dad and brother to park their car behind the church to sleep. There are no resources for homeless, disabled seniors. There is no help for them. They have tried.
Every penny will be going to my parents. I am working hard to give them everything I can, but can only do so much by myself. We appreciate every penny. If you can’t donate, please share and pray that something comes up quickly. Their motel room is $400/week. They are looking for something cheaper in the mean time, but are currently at the Colonial Village Motel on Lake Worth Road.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and share this. God bless.
Organizer
Melody Owens
Organizer
West Palm Beach, FL