Life had turned upside down when Mary’s husband passed away unexpectedly. Their son was still young. Although Mary had a stable and rewarding job, it became tough to pay her bills by herself.
Most of the women we partner with are in similar situations when they come to Home of the Sparrow. An unexpected life event like the sudden death of a spouse, illness, job loss or divorce can hit hard and throw a formerly stable person completely off balance. When a graduate becomes a homeowner, this is a reason for us to celebrate.
Despite her shock, Mary came to us shortly after her husband passed away. From the beginning, Mary was very open and driven to stay in the house she was renting. Her goal was to make sure that her son could stay in their familiar home while he was grieving.
Supportive Housing Program
For seven months, Mary became part of our Supportive Housing Program, where we provided a rent subsidy and worked with her to develop a sustainable budget, allowing her to build savings and to get back on her feet.
We look at each participant’s situation holistically. Through our extensive support network of counselors, service providers and other nonprofits we connect each participant with the resources necessary to achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency.
Our program coordinators were truly inspired by her strength, dedication and grace and how Mary handled this difficult time. During the program she joined a grief support group, we connected her son with one of our counselors, we helped her build her own credit score and apply for survivor benefits for her child. Home of the Sparrow helped her to gain the confidence to know that she can do this on her own.
Mary recently bought the house she has been living in and we are beyond happy for her. After this difficult year, Mary has taken her life into her own hands to provide for her and her son. At Home of the Sparrow we could not be more proud of our graduate and we hope that many can follow her example in the future.
We know how important it was for Mary and her son to stay in their familiar home. We are thrilled to see that our support truly paid off and that Mary is now a homeowner.
