“This place is awesome they don’t judge they help all. The best thing is they are all friendly and go above and beyond to help you get what you need.”
Latoya B.
Latoya Brown thought she had everything in place to be successful. She was working full-time at Petsmate saving her money and living with her mom. She was going to save as much as she could so that she could get her own place for herself and her two children. However, she lost that job due to her criminal background history, and her living situation with her mom was strenuous and toxic at best, and she made the tough decision to leave. She had no place to go and was living in her car. Then she met someone who let her, and her children stay with her, and she found part-time employment at Accepting Hands as a Caregiver. Not feeling comfortable with her living situation, someone told her about Community Link Mission, so she came in to get services.
She met with Case Manager, Cory Dick, and after talking with him, they agreed that once she saved money and began working full-time, he would place her and her children in a hotel and assist her with finding housing. However, things did not work out that way. Her friend kicked her and her children out, and she found herself living in her car with her kids again. The weather was cold and windy, and she did not know what to do, so she called Cory and explained her situation. He immediately found a hotel for her and her children and placed them there.
“Through determination and challenging work, Latoya was able to find an apartment and move in. Today, she plans on saving her money to get a house that is big so her children and grandkids, when she has them, have a place to come and visit.”
Latoya immediately began pushing herself, and soon she was working full-time at Accepting Hands, saved money, and was able to purchase her own vehicle so that she did not have to depend on public transportation. She continued to work hard, and her Case Manager assisted her with applying for ERAP for housing assistance. She was approved and began seeking housing, with the assistance of her Case Manager, who was also providing her with leads for apartments.
Through determination and challenging work, Latoya was able to find an apartment and move in. Today, she plans on saving her money to get a house that is big so her children and grandkids, when she has them, have a place to come and visit. She has come a long way by working hard and pushing herself. Latoya says “she is thankful for everything Community Link and her Case Manager did for her. I was depressed and ready to give up on myself. I would not have been able to do it without them!” She also said “she could not have done it without her Case Manager. He was caring, understanding, committed, and dedicated to helping me be successful!”
“All of the people are great. They make you feel as if you really matter. I don’t know how my family and I would survive without your help. Please tell everyone I said THANK YOU”
Mr. Hernandez
This client came to Community Link back in Oct 2022 requesting SNAP application assistance. At that time, he was receiving SSDI benefits and living with his parents, but due to certain circumstances, Mr. Hernandez ended up being homeless a few days after coming to see us. He remembered us talking about housing assistance services and he decided to contact CL again for assistance. Mr. Hernandez needed temporary shelter (which we assisted with) and time to figure out the next step. Also, he lost his disability eligibility and went without it for a few months. We assisted with his SSDI application but in the meantime, he had to be looking for a job so that he could start applying for permanent housing. This process took a few months because he had no credit or rental history. Once Mr. Hernandez found full-time employment, he was referred to the FIRE Journey Home program for rental assistance. The process took a few months (Oct to April), but he was finally approved for an apartment in the area where he wanted to live. The Case Manager contacted the FIRE program to give them all the information such as proof of homelessness and the apartment complex fees. Within 24 hours Mr. Hernandez was approved for the Rapid Exit program at the FIRE Journey Home program!
“Once Mr. Hernandez found full-time employment, he was referred to the FIRE Journey Home program for rental assistance.”
At the same time, he heard from the Social Security Administration office that his SSDI benefits will be reinstated as of May the 6th. Community Link paid the client’s application fee for the apartment and the FIRE program paid 3 full months of rent for him. We are so proud of all the great work we do here at Community Link we see the difference we make in the community.
“It was smooth, with great service!! Thank you so much for being there for us who are in need!!”
