A United Way of Denton County Story
** This is a true story of a family in crisis in Denton County.
"When my marriage ended, I had to start over. It was a hard road, but in time my two kids and I flourished. I opened a catering business and an online store with much success. Our nest egg grew with the goal to buy a house of our own. Our little family was thriving!
Then 2020 happened…
Immediately the demand for our services stopped. Our monthly income plummeted to $250 – if we were lucky! It didn’t take long before bills gobbled up our nest egg - rent, utilities, insurance, food. I applied for so many jobs. But never got responses. I sold whatever I could at the pawn shop, hoping I’d be able to buy them back someday. Then, I sold our car to keep us afloat.
Eventually, we were late on rent. Late one evening, we heard a key go into our front door deadbolt. No notice, no doorbell, no knocking. Our door started to open. I slammed against it and locked the deadbolt. We were terrified.
The next day a family member, our only one within 2,000 miles, came and picked us up. We loaded what little we could into their small vehicle to escape to their town a few hours away.
Finally starting to breathe again, I received a text from a neighbor. All of our belongings on the driveway, street, and sidewalk. No notice. No warning. My neighbors tried to protect what they could of our stuff but watched the landlord load electronics into his car.
There was our whole life on the street with someone else taking my kids’ Playstation. It is still heartbreaking and humiliating.
Calls to shelters consumed my days. The only family we had were moving over 1,000 miles away in a few weeks. We could not go due to the boundaries in my court-ordered parenting plan.
All shelters were full. Every phone call was harder to make. Sharing intimate, personal and financial details. I felt suffocated. It was the same feeling I had 3 years earlier on the violent night my 20-year marriage ended.
Then, my phone rang. United Way of Denton County called to tell me I was approved for rent assistance. I thanked her and explained we no longer had rent, or belongings, at that point. But appreciated someone – anyone – returning my call. Ready to hang up, she threw me a lifeline – referring me to Amanda, the Housing Navigator at United Way’s Rapid Re-housing program.
It was a glimmer of hope. As I waited for the call, I prayed this would be different.
It took only moments to know that Amanda honestly cares and would help us however she could. Amanda didn't make me feel like she was filling out some government form; she just talked with me like a concerned friend, and immediately took steps to help my children and me not wind up sleeping in a tent in some park. Her honest concern for us was heartwarming and reassuring.
Amanda and United Way of Denton County put action behind their kindness, placing us in an apartment within two weeks of that first call and helping us with three months’ rent to give us breathing room to get back on our feet.
You would think our story ends here, but it doesn’t. Amanda called frequently. She often stopped by when in the neighborhood, sometimes bringing boxes of much needed home items to replace what we lost. On one of these visits, she asked what else we needed.
I told her I had still not gotten responses when I applied for jobs. We would be responsible for rent soon, and the fear of being unable to meet that responsibility was sinking in!
To my surprise, a couple days later Amanda shared an opportunity working in hospitality in Denton County. I went through the interview/screening process and I got the job! I have worked there since January. And now my son works there too.
Our experience with United Way of Denton County has been amazing. This wonderful organization made a difference in the lives of my children and me that I couldn’t have even dreamed of 11 months ago. United Way of Denton County is love + action.
We are grateful, humble, and blessed to have been helped thanks to kind donors like you. When you donate, you are truly making the difference.