Stories About People in Need
LEAVEN works through volunteers to assist people in crisis who have basic needs that cannot be met elsewhere. While it is not within our means to provide for all of their needs, we can and do give emergency help with the essentials such as shelter, utilities, and transportation.
Housing Assistance
- Katie and Mike live in Appleton with their two-year-old son and infant daughter. Although they both work full-time, their combined incomes barely support the family. When their car broke down, they did not have enough money to pay the rent. LEAVEN assisted with a partial payment for rent.
- Mary and her baby were homeless and living at a women's shelter when they came to LEAVEN for help. LEAVEN enabled them to move into their own apartment by paying part of the rent.
- Donald, a 48-year-old man, lived in the same apartment for 7 years. He always paid his rent on time. Due to an unexpected medical emergency, he was short on money and unable to pay June's rent. LEAVEN paid part of the rent.
Energy Assistance
- LeAnne recently lost her job as a result of recurring medical problems. She is currently living on her child support payments of $410 per month. LEAVEN assisted with part of her utility payment to prevent disconnection.
- Maggie began receiving disability assistance as the result of a health-related condition. Her inability to work forced the family of four to be dependent solely on her husband's salary. LEAVEN assisted with the utility bill to help prevent disconnection.
Transportation Assistance
- Carl's family of five has one vehicle. He works full-time, his wife part-time and their three children are in elementary school. Carl and his wife make a little more than minimum wage at their jobs. They live paycheck to paycheck with very meager savings. When their vehicle broke down unexpectedly, they were unable to afford the $426 necessary to retrieve it. They had to leave the van in the shop for over two months until someone suggested they go to LEAVEN. LEAVEN was able to assist them with payment and retrieve their vehicle.
- Mary considers herself a hard worker. She has been that way since her 15-month-old son was born. But, living on $7.62 an hour is difficult, even for the best budgeter. Recently, she ran into some unexpected trouble when her car broke down and she needed to pay for repairs in order to use the car to get back and forth to work. At the same time her son had an unexpected visit to the emergency room. She could not manage to pay both bills without help. LEAVEN assisted with the car repair payment.
