Homelessness doesn’t just happen to people; sometimes it can take months or years for a family to move through a set of circumstances that brings them to homelessness.

Such is the case for Tana, a 32 year old single mother of three, who came to Beach House Family Shelter.

Tana and her children are originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Due to violence at the hands of her boyfriend, Tana left her boyfriend and moved herself and her children to Toledo in September 2018.

She had nowhere to go.

Coming from an abusive household left Tana worried about her situation. Not only did was she dealing with the aftermath of the abuse, she was also unsure how she would be able to take care of her children.

Not only did Tana have three children to provide for, she also suffered from several medical conditions and mental disorders, including PTSD, bi-polar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Once she arrived in Toledo, Ohio, Tana and her children moved in with Tana’s sister, who lived in the area. They stayed at Tana’s sister’s home for several months, but, unfortunately, there were issues. Tana’s sister shared her home with her significant other, and he was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the living arrangements in the house. Tana stayed until the stress increased to a point she could no longer handle, and she took her children and moved out of the home.

This situation isn’t unusual. In fact, many women who flee domestic abuse often find themselves with nowhere to go and few resources or support systems to rely on. After a woman and her children leave the abuser, they must find a place to stay that they can afford – usually without a regular income to depend upon, making it extremely difficult to secure housing.

Tana, again, had nowhere to go.

Tana and her children resorted to living in their vehicle, something that is becoming more and more frequent for families across the US. (It’s called  vehicular homelessness. Read more about it in our article, Where People Live & Sleep When They’re Homeless.)

She found herself in an awful situation: she and her family were living in her car, she was unable to provide adequately for her three children, the family had no housing, and Tana was unemployed.

Unhappy with her living situation, Tana sought help by calling 2-1-1 and requesting shelter for herself and her family.

Tana and her children entered the housing program at Leading Families Home in September. They were housed at Beach House Family Shelter for two months, while Tana completed educational courses, including courses in financial stability and landlord-tenant relationships. In November, she signed a lease for housing.

Once housed in an apartment, Tana and her family were finally able to relax and enjoy having a home.

Tana also fought hard to better her family’s situation. She found work through Adecco Staffing Agency in Toledo, Ohio. Tana works at Meijer as a Merchandiser and makes $15.00 dollars an hour.

Recently, Tana was selected for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. This program allows Tana to choose permanent housing of her choice, including houses, townhouses, and apartments. She is currently completing the application process.

With services and assistance including case management, coaching, gas card assistance, food stamps, and medical coverage, Tana is well on her way to creating a new, brighter life for herself and her children.

For our current and future Participants, the need for comprehensive services continues to grow. To meet that need, we have big plans. And big plans call for big dollars. We need your help. Will you partner with us to meet the needs of our community? You can give by PayPal , or by mailing a check to Leading Families Home, 2910 W. Central Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43606.

Thank you for always being faithful partners in our mission — helping families transition from homelessness to permanent housing.Together we’ve got this.

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Leading Families Home is based in Toledo, Ohio. We are dedicated to fighting homelessness in our community – and we’d love your help! Please consider supporting our organization in one of the following ways:

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Leading Families Home

2283 Ashland Ave.

Toledo, OH 43604

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Every year we have a Match Campaign – an exciting way for you to double your impact. During this campaign, our match partners will match your monetary donation to Leading Families Home.

Match partners also include corporate sponsors who match their employees’ donations. If you’d like to participate, find out if your employer matches employee donations to 501(c)(3) organizations and contact us .

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