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From Duffle Bags to Their Own Apartment
Ruby could not stand lugging everything she and her family owned in duffle bags. She, her husband David and their children David Jr. and Alisha were homeless in late 2009 and had nowhere to store their possessions. Duffle bags were their only option.
“I just couldn’t stand those bags,” Ruby says.
Before becoming homeless, Ruby and her family lived in an apartment in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood for about five years. But their landlord lost his rental license, and they couldn’t stay any longer.
“I didn’t want to just sit there and wait for the letter telling us to move out,” David says. So they packed their duffle bags and left for The Family Place, a shelter for families in St. Paul.
After two days at the Family Place they moved to Catholic Charities’ Family Service Center in Maplewood. Families can stay at the Family Service Center for 30 days each quarter. Families receive housing and employment assistance resources and other services to help transition from homelessness to stable housing.
At the Family Service Center, David and Ruby immediately began looking for housing through Catholic Charities’ Rapid Re-housing program, which finds housing for those who’ve been homeless for less than a year. Studies show getting people back into housing as soon as possible increases their chances of maintaining their housing in the future.
Ruby and David worked with housing advocate Allison Shaul, who helped them look for housing and guided them through the application process. She also helped Ruby deal with the anxiety that homelessness causes people to feel.
“I was at my breaking point,” Ruby says. “But Allie helped me keep my head together.”
After three weeks at the Family Service Center, Ruby and David found an apartment. They enjoy the independence that comes with having a place of their own.
“I finally got to release those bags,” Ruby says with a smile.
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