“I didn’t do it for me, I did it for my kids.”
Charlene has overcome many challenges to be where she is today. When her fiancé died suddenly two years ago, she and her four young children were left without a permanent home. The young family moved from house to house, staying with friends and in shelters in order to keep a roof over their heads. Living in transition made it impossible for them to hold onto their possessions. The family spent some time at the Star of Hope and while they were glad to have shelter, Charlene recalls that “the kids cried and they missed their things.”
When Charlene arrived at Houston Furniture Bank this month, her family had been in their new living situation at New Hope Housing for about a month, moving from Pasadena to take advantage of the opportunity. Together, they are building a new life. Charlene enjoys cooking for her children in their new apartment and tells us that her children are very happy to have a home of their own after so much transition.
At Houston Furniture Bank with her caseworker Shanette Williams, Charlene selected the furniture that will make her new apartment a home, replacing items that were lost and making a fresh start. “It means so much to me,” she said. “But I didn’t do it for me. I did it for my kids.”