Stacy’s Story
On April 24, Stacy enrolled as a 100 Families Miller County client. Stacy has three children: an 11-year-old, and a set of 3-year-old twins. Stacy was in crisis in almost all 13 care areas at the initial intake. She and her children were living 15 minutes out of the city limits in a trailer house that had no well water or city water. They had a tank attached to the house that when filled by her mother would give them dirty green water. They had a roach infestation and bed bugs had left bites all over Stacy's back. She had no vehicle, no one to help her get back and forth to work. Stacy desperately wanted to get her own home, find an affordable day care for the twins, find a good job and possibly enroll in college one day. Although Stacy had suffered from a drug addiction for a long time, she had been clean for over 3 years and only backslid one day. However, she still lived with guilt and shame. She had no self-esteem. She lived under her mother's control for many years which made her feel like she had no say over her own life or her children's life.
Stacy's mother has custody of her oldest daughter, but that daughter did still lived with Stacy. Stacy's mother also received food stamps for all the children, as the stipulation for letting Stacy and her children live in the trailer, and she was not consistent with providing food for the family.
With the help of 100 Families, Stacy has had an amazing life change. Stacy was approved for housing, and she and her three children now live in a clean, safe environment with clean running water. Through a community partnership with We Are Washington and Ashley Furniture, Stacy received 4 brand new mattresses with box springs. Stacy also gained the confidence to contact DHS and advise them her mother had been receiving food stamps fraudulently. Now Stacy is able to receive SNAP and Medicaid benefits and she is able to buy food for the family. Stacy is in the process of enrolling her twins in daycare, and she will be able to find a job where she can better provide for her family. She also has a lawyer through the local legal aid office to help her regain legal custody of her oldest daughter.
In Stacy’s words: “100 families has helped me overcome so much. I used to live in unlivable conditions. We had green water to bathe in and I had bugs of all kinds biting me and my babies not to mention mold in the walls and ceilings. 100 families helped me access the necessary tools to gain a home that has running water, is bug free plus I am finally able to enroll my children into preschool so that I can find work. I am truly grateful to have had 100 families help in my life's journey.”
