COLUMBUS, Ohio — Homelessness can affect anyone at any time.
World Homeless Day is Oct. 10 and for more than one-third of all American households, homelessness is just one crisis away.
“It could be a medical incident,” says YWCA Family Center Director Sonya Todd. “Or a flat tire. A flat tire leads to missing work. You miss work a couple times, you don’t have a job. Not having a job leads to missing rent and that leads to eviction.”
YWCA Columbus offers these families help with dignity.
“There’s a stigma around being homeless, but that’s why we’re here. We’re trying to erase that,” said Todd.
At the YWCA Family Center, they provide housing, meals, childcare and a wealth of resources aimed at getting people out of the shelter and into their own homes.
“I’m grateful for this place,” says Tearsa Sargent. This single mother of five left Flint, Michigan, after the water crisis and came to Columbus for better opportunities and a safer environment for her children. But with an eviction on her record for breaking her lease, she couldn’t get housing.
“When I first got here, I cried every day,” Sargent said. "I was stressed out and the kids were asking a lot of questions. They didn’t understand what was going on.”
Sargent found the help at the Family Center. She was able to get a room for her family. Her children could take the bus to their schools and she had free childcare available while looking for housing or employment.
“There are a lot of resources and a lot of help here and being homeless doesn’t mean you’re literally just homeless. This is a shelter and they did just that. We have shelter. They fed us. We have everything we need here,” said Sargent.
Some of the most common roadblocks to overcoming homelessness include low wages, the cost of childcare, transportation and the lack of affordable housing.
But after nearly four months sharing living space and eating meals with more than 60 other homeless families at the Family Center, Sargent is prepared to move on. She found a landlord willing to give her a second chance. She and her family will soon move into their own place.
Sargent says she could have taken the easy way out and gone back home to Flint and stayed with family.
“But I don’t wanna go back there. My kids had high lead levels,” she said. “I like Columbus.”
She decided to stick it out and she’s glad she did.
If you or someone you know is facing homelessness, there is help. Call the Homeless Hotline at (614) 274-7000.