Not everyone’s homeless experience is the same. Unfortunately, one circumstance that often leads to homelessness is women and children after fleeing a domestic violence situation.
Fortunately for one Fallon woman and her children, that is not the end of her story. Jane was married for ten years and was a victim of domestic violence during that time. The experience nearly cost her life on more than one occasion. She wanted to leave, but she had no idea what she would do once she left. “I tried leaving eight times,” said Jane, “but I had no place to go.” Still, she had to get out. Jane finally made the leap, knowing she would be homeless. Still, it was the road she knew she had to take.
Initially seeking the help of Churchill County Domestic Violence Intervention (DVI), Jane was placed in a safe house, where she stayed for several weeks. During that time, DVI referred her to Social Services, which placed her in a transitional home, where she remained for some months. “The transitional house they provided was a safe house to me,” Jane said. “I felt safe there."
As a stay-at-home mom in a financially comfortable life, leaving her marriage left her with no ready workforce skills. Jane, however, was determined to make it on her own. While she found a job at a local restaurant, Social Services went to work to find Jane and her children stable, long-term housing.
The next step was helping Jane apply for low-income housing. With a waiting list of up to a year, Jane was lucky and secured an apartment within 3-4 months. Perhaps it was not luck, as much as it was Jackee Stewart’s dedicated efforts to help Jane. Stewart was the housing coordinator for Social Services at the time and still maintains relationships with many of the people she has helped, even though she presently serves Social Services in a different capacity. “I had heard stories that Fallon doesn’t have any assistance, but I found that to be a lie,” Jane explained, “If you work hard for it, Fallon has amazing resourc- es.”
Jane happily complied with the program requirements that would help get her into a home. These included budgeting classes, a co-parenting class, weekly check-ins, and counseling. Over the last two years, Jane has also moved out of her low-income apartment and is living in a townhouse with her children. As of December, Jane receives no rent assistance and is living independently.
The biggest problem Jane faces now is finding a house. “Finding affordable housing aa a single mom is so hard here,” she said. “It’s a struggle – it took me six months to find something affordable.” Jane hopes to be in a house instead of a townhouse, but there are no houses in her price range. “When I was married, my mortgage was $1,000 a month, now I can’t find a three-bedroom home for less than $1,700.” Her next step is to buy a home.
“Social Services and DVI where my saving grace,” said Jane. “I would literally be
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