I Want My Family to Have a Home: Jamie’s Story
Each Participant who comes to Beach House Family Shelter has a unique story, and a unique set of circumstances and challenges that they are dealing with.
Jamie’s story starts with a co-parenting struggle, compounded by medical issues and domestic violence.
Jamie came to Beach House Family Shelter at 39 years old, with only a 9th grade education, no GED, and no employment training. She had four children, ages 13, 9, 8, and 5 years old. One of her children deals with ADHD and one has ADHD and autism. Jamie mentioned that her children unfortunately witnessed the violence between herself and the children’s biological father.
With only one sister as her support system and little assistance other than SSI and food stamps, Jamie had many obstacles to overcome.
Jamie’s struggles with the children’s biological father continued even after she fled the domestic violence situation and came to Beach House. The father of her children was difficult to work with – he was undependable, sometimes not showing up for his weekly visits with his children and keeping them only part of the time he was responsible for.
These circumstances made it difficult for Jamie to work toward her goal of gaining employment. She was constantly worried that her children’s father wouldn’t show up to get his children, or would call her to pick up her children earlier than the agreed upon time.
Jamie didn’t give up. Instead, she went to court and worked within the system to address child custody issues. Although he lets her down at times, things have improved.
The biological father and Jamie have found a way to work together to raise the children, even though they do not live together. The biological father now pays child support, helps the family meet household needs, and supports efforts to assure that one of the children receives medications and therapy to address his medical diagnosis.
Jamie’s goal was simple. “I want to buy a house for my family and have our own home,” she said.
Her case manager supported her vision for the future. She told Jamie, “I know you can achieve any goal that you put your mind to. You are very determined to make changes in your life.”
Jamie was determined to give her family a safe, decent home. She found one, and, although it needed work, she set her sights on it. Jamie saved her money, including the COVID-19 Federal Stimulus Check, and built up enough to make a deposit on the house she found.
On September 19, Jamie signed her lease. She moved into the home with no furniture, cleaning supplies, or dishes, but she was undeterred. With donations, including those from Epworth Furniture Ministry , and her own efforts to find affordable items, she has been able to fill her house with necessities.
Although Jamie is currently unable to work, due to the need for child care and availability to take her child to his weekly medical appointments, she has worked hard to make a better life for her family. She attended Pathway in Toledo to receive help with home maintenance and energy bills, job search assistance, and training classes, including GED completion.
She is now able to pay for her monthly utilities and her rental co-pay each month.
You Can Change a Life
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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Help Us Out
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:
Donate Online
Leading Families Home partners with PayPal for secure online payments. Click Donate Now to be taken to the secure donation page.
Mail a Check
To donate by check, please make the check out to Leading Families Home.
Mail your check to the following address:
Leading Families Home
2283 Ashland Ave.
Toledo, OH 43604
Other Ways to Donate
Shop with AmazonSmile
When you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Learn more about AmazonSmile .
Use Kroger Community Rewards
It’s easy to donate with Kroger Community Rewards – just shop at Kroger, and swipe your Plus Card! Join Kroger Community Rewards .
Matching Gifts: Double Your Donation
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 .
Host a 3rd Party Fundraiser
Do you love to plan events? You can raise donations for LFH by hosting your own event! Have fun and make an impact on our community. Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts or baby shower presents.
Remember Us in Your Will
A Planned Gift allows you to donate in a very meaningful way. Contact your financial advisor or estate planner to learn more.
Leading Families Home Announces Executive Director, Jennifer Jacobs
