A pregnant, single mom who was evicted from her apartment with her three children last spring planned to go back to dancing in a strip club when the baby was born. Because of Family Renew Community supporters like you, she became a bus driver instead.
A dad’s grief at the unexpected death of his mother, with whom he and his young daughter shared a home, was compounded by news that they had to leave and could not afford another place to live. Because of people like you, he found not only housing but also a path to obtaining better-paying work.
A couple kept their 2-year-old hidden as well as they could out of fear of losing her as they struggled to find a place to stay each night. Because of people like you, they can watch her make friends on the playground outside their apartment.
These are three of the families currently staying in Family Renew Community’s 32 apartments in Holly Hill, Daytona Beach and DeLand.
All in all last year, 122 children and their parents had a safe, stable place to live and begin to thrive because of support for Family Renew Community. These 66 families had been sleeping in their cars, on floors in overcrowded homes of exasperated loved ones, in seedy motels, and worse. At 7½ months pregnant and working at a
fast-food restaurant, one young woman was sleeping in a park with her 7-year-old. (She gave birth to healthy baby girl in September and is studying for a high-school-equivalency diploma.)
Many of those families, like the four described in this story, are still with us at Family Renew, working hard every day to put their experience of homelessness behind them in 2020. Twenty-eight families, including 49 children, overcame homeless in 2019 with our help.
Note: The photo below is used with special permission. Family Renew Community does not otherwise publish photos in which clients are identifiable.