Confessions of a Homeless Family

Can you imagine for a moment life without a place to sleep, go home and rest and put your feet up. A place to take a clean shower, a home of your own with little pictures and knick knacks all about. A place to cook food, have birthday parties, or just sit back and watch a movie. Now, while it might be hard to picture, it's something millions of people go through on the daily basis.

Now, just seven months ago, my husband and I found ourselves in this situation. We had just moved into a new apartment in October of 2007 and just had our second child born in August. A week after we moved, my husband got let go from his work as they laid off all the temp employees. We didn't fret too much at the time, thinking that it was possible for us to get back on our feet within a short time but as the weeks went by, fear started to seep into our hearts and minds. October passed and no job and I could not stop the fear and anger that started to build into my heart. I started to give up on everything.

November 2nd our landlord came around asking us where the rent was and we informed her of the situation. How callus she was at the time, it didn't matter that we had kids to care for, it was either pay or leave. My husband and I began to fight more and more, we both didn't know what to do or how to get out of this situation. Out of desperation, we asked family for money to see if they would help us at least for a month until we found another job. Unfortunately, family could not help us and we were left to defend ourselves on our own. I can't tell you how scary that is in this world to feel so alone without a shoulder to lean on.

One thing you learn when you become homeless--you find people who have genuine kindness. The turnside on this, you find out who really doesn't care. So what is it like being homeless?

1. You have no place to go, no one to help you, if you have a vehicle you can stay in there or find shelter. We found the shelters would not take my husband and sometimes the shelters were full so we were left to sleep in our Van. You can't watch tv, go relax on a couch to watch a movie or

2. You can apply for cash aid and food stamps, but it will take forever to get them, even though you are immediate need. The state really doesn't care, this is a lesson you will learn over and over again.

3. You will never feel more alone in your life, more unsafe and more low of yourself. I gave up so many times thinking we would never get out of being homeless. You feel like you will never get out of your situation no matter what you do.

4. The strain it takes on your relationship from your kids to your spouse, you both need to really stick together or else it could be the end of your marriage. Being homeless really tests the waters of your relationship.

5. We were always afraid someone would come get the kids, especially on days when we either were not in a hotel or shelter. It was the most scariest thing because nothing was ever for sure. We did our best to keep them safe and secure.

Is it possible to bounce back from being homeless? We aren't all the way there yet, but we definitely aren't the family we were back in those seven months. There are places to help you if you don't have family to turn to. If you have kids, contact the welfare office and ask for assistance. Be sturdy with them or else they won't process your application within a good time frame. Look for shelters and homeless rehab centers in your area that let you stay for 90-180days until you get back on your feet.

It is possible to bounce back, you just have to keep your head up high, realize the situation and try to stick together as best as possible. Don't blame each other, work together as a family and eventually there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.