Ashley

Ashley was seven years clean from opioid addiction, raising her two-year-old son with her husband, and reconnecting with her two older children who live with their grandparents. Working full-time overnight at a gas station helped make ends meet. Then, after being just eight days late with rent one time on a month-to-month lease, her landlord gave the family 30 days to move out.

They went from a duplex apartment to a cramped motel room with no way to cook and with insect infestation. The Department of Social Services through Monroe County supplemented the room fee, but Ashley was still responsible for paying the balance —hundreds of dollars weekly. On top of maintaining the family’s expenses, this made it impossible to save for the down payments on a new apartment.

That’s when Ashley’s caseworker suggested she fill out an application with PCHO.

“From my first meeting with Joyce (a PCHO Housing Coordinator), she got right to work to find us a place as quick as she could,” Ashley said. At that first meeting, Ashley and Joyce realized they already knew each other.

Ashley’s path to connecting with PCHO was a long one; she had met Joyce originally in a group home as a teen 20 years prior. Abuse perpetrated by her mother’s boyfriend on herself and her younger sisters (for which he was eventually tried, convicted, and incarcerated) had triggered the kind of behavior that landed Ashley in the Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) program, juvenile detention, and, finally, foster care and group homes. Joyce was a steady support system during one group home stint, but they lost touch when Ashley was placed in another home.

Life for Ashley after aging out of the system continued to present obstacles. Shortly after, she became pregnant and placed her child for adoption. When a later pregnancy with her oldest son induced sciatica, an addiction cycle resulted after a pain prescription was abruptly cancelled after his birth. Then a period of stability was disrupted by a house fire in which she lost everything.

Time and time again she found her way back, but losing the duplex was another hit. This time PCHO, and Joyce, were there to help. Working together to find an apartment wasn’t just about meeting PCHO criteria and being affordable enough.

“We hit rock bottom and Joyce and PCHO gave me the ladder. We went together to see four apartments in my price range and eventually settled on one that we both felt comfortable about for my family,” Ashley said.

They were able to move within two months of arriving at the motel, with PCHO paying the security deposit and first month’s rent. PCHO also provided household goods, pantry items, and a grant to purchase kitchen wares and cleaning supplies.

Ashley stayed connected with Joyce who helps her find and visit food pantries and clothing closets. Today Ashley focuses on caring for their special needs son, and for her older children during their weekly visits, while her husband works an overnight shift.

“PCHO provided so many resources and helped in ways that a lot of other organizations don’t have the funds for,” Ashley said. “But what they do for people is even more than that – PCHO hires people like Joyce who make a great organization even better by going the extra mile for the people they take care of. She is the cherry on top.”