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Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
 January 2014

 

A Fresh Start for Paige and Her Family  
  

The air conditioning stopped working in the middle of summer, but Paige wasn't too concerned. She called her landlord and asked to have the central air conditioning unit fixed as soon as possible. She let him know that her six children were hot and grumpy and being pregnant with her 7th child, so was she.

To her surprise, the landlord opted to install a window unit instead of fixing the central air. Paige was relieved to have air-conditioning back in the home and went about her daily life working full-time as a cashier and taking care of her children.   She didn't think much more about it, until an electric bill arrived that was substantially higher than previous months.  She was already living paycheck to paycheck and quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to cover this added expense each month.

Over the next couple months, Paige complained to her landlord, but he refused to fix the central air conditioning. She let him know that she would have to withhold rent if the problem wasn't fixed. A few days later she received his response, an eviction notice. She was forced to quickly move out and lost many of her possessions, including her furniture.

Paige scrambled to help her family. She contacted a number of agencies and eventually was referred to a Family Stabilization case manager at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. The Crisis Center was able to provide her and her kids immediate temporary shelter at a local hotel. Her case manager was then able to help find an affordable apartment for the family and help navigate the process of getting the debt on her electric bill forgiven.
 
This help could not have come at a better time, as several weeks later, Paige experienced the early birth of her child and spent the week of Thanksgiving in the hospital. Her new apartment provided a safe place for her children to be cared for by relatives as she and the new baby recovered. Paige's children also received Christmas presents through the Crisis Center's holiday giving campaign and a generous donor personally delivered a Christmas dinner to the family.

By working with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Paige also learned that she qualified for assistance from the Siemer Program that will help her go to school to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. She's taken the Money Matter's class and has set a goal of purchasing a vehicle to make it easier to get to work.

Your support of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides new beginnings to people who have endured the most difficult times of their lives. To make a donation, please visit our website by clicking HERE.   

 

 

   


  
 
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