In a short 24 hours, a whirlwind of SUCCESS materialized for one family. Mason and Shayla, a father/daughter team, have been in the shelter since June 5, 2023. Long story short: Mason grew up in abject poverty and has the determination to get out of it, he married a woman with children many years ago, she had a host of health issues and died during the height of Covid, leaving many medical bills on top of credit card debt held by both of them. Daughter Shayla is a high-functioning, bubbly, delightful, 19 year-old child with autism who is not prepared or ready to leave the only nest she knows with her Dad. They both work hard, Mason full-time at a manager’s job, Shayla part-time at a delivery company.
As Mason has said repeatedly since June, “We only need someone to give us a break,”, as he shared his dream of first being in stable housing, but also someday being able to own a home that he can leave to Shayla. THE NEED IS REAL – we need people with rental units to work with agencies like Hundred Nights, Keene Housing, Southwestern Community Services, etc. to provide places for people to live who are trying so hard to better their situations.
We received an email from a donor who offered up a small house as a rental unit after a previous tenant moved on. The owners and the family met that night and had a conversation over dinner. Mason and Shayla came to us the next morning to let us know they were about to go see the house. This is the break that Mason was hoping for – 24 hours changed everything for this family. That afternoon they were packing their room up, loading their car and moving in to their new place! We will happily take One Success At A Time!
Families and individuals lose their homes for many reasons, too much debt, low-paying jobs, mental health issues, substance misuse and natural disasters. Many more are a paycheck away from losing their homes. Thankfully, Hundred Nights is here to help as many as possible stay off the streets and out of the woods. But, we couldn’t do it without your help.
Listen to an interview with Mason here.
