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
- Jeanne considers herself a survivor, not a victim, of domestic abuse. Her husband is being held in the Outagamie County jail on felony charges of strangulation and suffocation while he awaits a pre-trial conference. The apartment they shared was damaged in the assault and the landlord wants Jeanne to leave. An eviction notice has been issued. LEAVEN helped Jeanne with a security deposit so she was able to move.
- John, Karen and their 4 children live in a home they purchased 9 years ago. They have never sought assistance from LEAVEN before. Karen was diagnosed with lymphoma and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. She had to take a leave of absence from her job. While John has long-term job stability, the family needs both incomes to make ends meet. Consequently, the loss of Karen’s income has caused a financial hardship. LEAVEN helped the family with their mortgage payment.
- Steven was laid off when the plant he worked at for 17 years closed. The amount of his unemployment compensation does not cover all of the household’s expenses and he finds himself falling further and further behind. His wife has been out of the work force for years while she stayed home to raise their 3 children. She is actively looking for a job but lacks the skills and experience that other applicants possess. LEAVEN helped the family with part of their rent.
Energy Assistance
- Nancy is a single parent to 3 young children. Her husband left the house and has refused to provide any financial assistance. A temporary order hearing is scheduled but in the mean time, she is getting further behind. She has worked for the same employer for over 7 years and earns a good living. In fact, her income puts her just over eligibility for most county programs – including Energy Assistance. She has kept up with electricity payments to Kaukauna Utilities but has struggled to pay for her gas usage to WE Energies. Consequently, her service was disconnected leaving her without hot water for laundry, bathing, and cleaning. LEAVEN helped get her service restored.
- Barbara and Derek moved into the lower unit of a house during the summer. They had no idea of the expense involved in heating the home, which is old and poorly insulated. They applied plastic sheeting to all the windows and made every effort to conserve energy. However, they have a newborn baby so they couldn’t set the thermostat too low. They consistently made monthly utility payments but could never pay the full amount owing. As a result, their balance grew and their account was flagged for disconnect. LEAVEN helped the family prevent that from happening.
Transportation Assistance
- Julie is a single parent. Her days start early and end late. She has to get her youngest child to daycare and her older two to school each day. From there, she goes to her job at a nursing home where she works as a CNA. It is a physically demanding job but one she loves. She attends school part-time where she is pursuing a nursing degree. She knows that the income potential she’ll gain with a degree will allow her to be self-sufficient. Reliable transportation is vital for her to be as productive as she is. LEAVEN helped Julie with repairs required to keep her 1999 van operational.
- 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.
