No Home for Darrell & His Sons

Darrell met the mother of his children when they were young; he was 19 and she was 18. By the time Darrell was 24, he had two young boys, but life was far from wonderful.

Darrell's wife had suffered an accident that left her with excruciating pain in her shoulder. She was prescribed medication that she soon found she was unable to stop taking. This created difficulty within the marriage, as she was unable to properly care for her children or go to work. Eventually, Darrell left her. Due to her substance use, he was awarded sole custody of both boys.

Homelessness

Darrell found an apartment for himself and his boys, and they were stably housed for awhile. However, he lost his job early in 2022. He had very few resources; little savings, no family in the state, and no additional job offers. After several months, he and his sons were evicted from their apartment. 

Darrell called 2-1-1 and was put on the waiting list for emergency family shelter. Because Leading Families Home is part of the Lucas County Continuum of Care, all referrals to our Shelter are handled through 2-1-1. 

After two weeks, Darrell was contacted and told that there was emergency family shelter available.

This is when they entered Beach House Family Shelter.

Entering Beach House Family Shelter

Darrell and his boys entered Beach House Family Shelter at the end of May. He impressed his case manager with his drive and determination. After being in our Shelter for 90 days, Darrell was ready to find a home.

Working with Landlords to Find a Home

Darrell's case manager assisted him with finding a new home, even with an eviction on his record. (Leading Families Home works with a network of private and corporate landlords to find housing for our Participants. If you're interested in working with us as a landlord, please check out our Landlord page online!)

Unfortunately, the landlord was unable to meet our rent limits set by HUD.

Darrell took initiative and looked for an apartment on his own. He called his case manager with information on the Landlord he found. The case manager called the landlord and worked out a time for an inspection. (Our housing inspectors inspect each unit before our Participants rent them, to ensure they meet our guidelines.)

Happily, the unit passed inspection and Darrell and his family were able to get a lease signing within one week of other place not working out.

Single Father Is Stably Housed

Darrell and his sons are now stably housed and living in their apartment. His case manager will continue to follow up with him every month for at least two years.

Our program relies on strong case management and educational courses to help our families to maintain financial independence. Thanks to the strength of our program, over 95% of our Participants who complete our program remain stably housed.

Do You Need Emergency Family Shelter?

If you are in need of emergency shelter, food, or help with utilities, please call 2-1-1. You'll be connected to a specialist who will help you find the resources you need.

Looking for Landlords

If you're a landlord who would like to work with Leading Families Home to get families housed, please check out our page for Landlords and contact us online!