Since December, we have helped 17 women maintain their existence.  We had money to spend during these months – Bake Sale, Imagine Concert, Musgrave Grant, Cajun Cookoff.

526 (refiled) – this young mom was off on maternity leave.  She had planned for her time off, but found herself short one month’s rent.  The baby’s father is on the kidney transplant waiting list and cannot work.  Once she returns to work, she will be OK.  We paid $532.  

540 – this young woman has two children and a steady job.  They have been living with her stepfather and sharing expenses.  The stepfather is moving and she found an apartment she will be able to afford on her own.  She needed an old past due utility bill paid and a new deposit ($342.71), plus first month’s rent and deposit on the new place ($740).  

547 – this applicant’s children are grown but unable to help.  Her husband committed suicide and she has had unusual bills to pay.  His family is making it difficult for her to tie up the loose ends.  She needed one month’s rent of $412.50 to carry her through until the financial situation was resolved.  

552 – a screening indicated that this applicant MIGHT have cancer.  Uninsured, she  needed $300 for a definitive test.  The test was negative and she is OK.  

555 – this lady has worked at the same job for over 10 years.  She is normally able to keep up with the bills for herself and her family (one son still at home).  She got behind due to car repair and son’s dental bills.  The live-in boyfriend left her with $1200 in past due rent.  The landlord agreed to waive $800 since the lease was not in her name.  We paid $800 to cover her until the end of January, when she’ll be OK again.   

 556 – this lady has a special needs child and a husband who has developed mental issues.  She has had her own business, but the combined stressors of son and husband have meant a drop in her income.  She cannot attempt to resolve financial issues because her husband’s name is still on the assets.  The best way we could help her was to finish paying her lawyer $800 to get her divorce finalized.  

559 – this hardworking mom of three has had hours cut from her full time job.  She is a very frugal person and gets by on quite a bit less than you would expect.  She has applied for HUD housing, but must be paid up in order to qualify.  We paid $457.18 for one and a half month’s rent.  

562 – this mother of two lost her high-paying job, but found another one.  She needed help with a past due utility bill.  We paid $639.43.  

563 – this mother of two was living in the Family Violence Center.  She has completed a shelter assistance program at OACAC, but cannot move into housing due to a past due utility bill, which we paid plus a new deposit ($578.01).  She also needed a starter for her car.  A friend found one at a salvage yard and could install it ($35).  

568 – this young mother of one (and one on the way) has been living with her parents and this has caused problems with her 2-year old (Grandma interference).  She is seeking sole custody of the daughter and her lawyer has advised her to get into her own place.  The baby-to-be’s daddy will help with baby expenses, but also lives with his parents.  We agreed to pay the deposit if she could come up with the first months’ rent on a very reasonable apartment.  We paid $475.  

569 – this lady lost her employment due to difficulty getting her birth certificate from another state.  When we talked to her, she was waiting for the certificate and she would then be able to return to work.  The landlord agreed to waive late fees and we paid three months’ rent of $1185.  (One child in the home.)  

571 – this hardworking mother of two faced serious problems in a small area town and moved into the Family Violence Center.  She has a full time job and found an apartment close to the school her daughters attend (these two girls were the most well-behaved children we have ever had around during interviews).  She needed the $100 deposit for CU and rent and deposit of $1121.85, total $1221.85.  

573 – this steadily employed mother of two has a husband whose work is seasonal.  They could get an income tax refund, but since the husband is self-employed their tax return was more complicated than most.  We paid $225 for tax preparation to get this family back on track.  

575 – this lady broke her ankle at work and got behind.  She got in trouble with bad checks over 20 years ago and will never do that again.  She did, however, take out a payday loan that she has not been able to repay.  We paid that loan off ($476).  In addition, her utilities were still in her landlord’s name as she could not come up with a past due bill and a new deposit.  We paid $433.21 ($909.21 total).  

578 – this woman owned a successful restaurant.  When she and her partner moved and expanded, the restaurant failed and the partner split.  She has made arrangements to care for the children and house of a woman whose husband is in Afghanistan.  She will have access to the internet there to continue her search for another job in food service.  We paid $158.73 utilities and $575 rent to get her back on her feet.  (Total $733.73)

586 – this applicant’s son was in the hospital for a week, so she got behind in the bills from missing work.  She owed CU $648.67 for utilities and a new deposit and was in danger of cut-off.  OACAC pledged $345 only if she found the remainder, so we paid $303.67 to keep her lights and heat on.  

587 – this mother of three had ankle surgery and her hours have been cut drastically.  She was three months behind in her rent, we paid two months ($1090 total) and the landlord forgave one month and was willing to work out a payment plan for April.