Our Stories

Jen and Curtis

…lived, with their two teenage sons, in one hotel room for four years! They learned to cook full meals with a microwave oven and to clean everything in one bathtub and sink. Jen became “mom” to the many other children living in this hotel which was sometimes infested with drugs, and bedbugs.

With the help Hearts for Homes receives from generous donors, this family was finally able to move into a three-bedroom home. It was a tough adjustment for the boys, especially Noah, who made the first “best friend” of his life in the hotel, but they are all learning to live in the spaciousness of the home they truly need. For now, they sleep on blow-up beds, and eat at a card table, but are settling into a whole new life.

Alicia and her five children

…lived for three years in a house that was sold out from under them.

They had 30 days to vacate and ended up in one hotel room with they shared with a niece and her two children. Alicia reached out to Hearts for Homes which helped her to stay in the hotel while another home could be found. The new home had plumbing and bedbug problems which the landlord refused to fix. Hearts for Homes put pressure on the landlord who finally did repair the home where Alicia and the children live in safety and peace.

Ebony & Curtis

…spent three months in a domestic violence shelter.

During that time she worked and saved money for a home. Hearts for Homes helped her with the security deposit needed to move into an apartment. Shortly after she moved, she learned she had a baby grandson, and drove to Florida to fetch him home and get custody for him. She is thriving with her new home, a stable job, and a new baby to care for!

Every day, a school bus makes a stop at one hotel to pick up and drop off the many homeless children who are living there. The stress of such a life affects children’s health, well-being, and school work. Hearts for Homes dreams of the day when every child in Macomb County has his or her own bed in a safe and stable home.