Securing A Home
Keenya threw down her pen and put her head in her hands. Even with her eyes closed, the daunting pages of paperwork loomed before her.
It was just too much…
Soft gurgling sounds called for her attention, and Keenya opened her eyes. In the car seat next to her, baby Natiya was slowly waking from her nap. Keenya wished she, too, could sleep so peacefully. Instead, the past few nights had been haunted by dreams of eviction, with no place to go.
Keenya sighed and carefully picked up her daughter. Natiya luxuriously arched her back, emitted various squeaks and grunts, and struggled to open her eyes. Keenya laughed at her and kissed the top of her fuzzy head. Even though six weeks had passed since Natiya came into the world, Keenya was still in awe of this new little person. She found her endlessly fascinating and incredibly fragile. Could she protect Natiya the way she wanted to? Could she provide for her and give her the stability Keenya herself had never known as a child?
The housing program had seemed like a great place to start. She liked her tiny apartment. It was old, but everything worked, and she had enjoyed adding little, inexpensive touches to make it feel like home. The neighbors, all struggling in their own way, looked out for each other. They were delighted to meet Natiya when she arrived. Keenya couldn’t pass through the hallway to the elevator without stopping several times for neighbors to inspect and compliment her daughter. Everything was going fine until Keenya needed to reapply for continued housing services.
Keenya was bewildered by the mountain of work that was required to simply stay put. She knew she wasn’t stupid, but at times like this she felt the crushing weight of her limited, 10th-grade education. Not far from delivery, she was also easily overwhelmed as her hormones settled slowly back into place.
After feeding and changing Natiya, Keenya carefully buckled her into her car seat once again. It was time to leave for her appointment at AlphaCare. As she grabbed her keys, Keenya swept the paperwork from the table and folded it into her diaper bag. She would ask Brianna…
Thus began an odyssey of navigating a system that is often too complex for the very people it is designed to help. Brianna guided Keenya not only with the confusing paper applications but navigated her through fax submissions and online portals, as well. Despite the proper submission of all that was requested, stress mounted for Keenya as the deadline loomed closer and no confirmation was received regarding her application.
Near panic, Keenya asked again for Brianna’s help. Brianna contacted the housing program, advocating on Keenya’s behalf by way of multiple telephone calls and numerous direct emails to various employees of the housing organization. Finally, a response was elicited and Keenya was contacted, receiving the next set of paperwork to complete the arduous process.
Brianna stayed in contact with Keenya between appointments via text, email, and phone calls to be sure Keenya would meet the final deadline. Thankfully, with AlphaCare walking beside her, she has been able to remain in her home. She is thankful for Brianna’s determined and steady support as she now seeks to find better employment and build an increasingly secure life for herself – and for Natiya.