Simon and Rosine entered the Emmanuel House Networked Saving program in 2013. At the time, three boys and multiple full-time jobs kept them incredibly busy. But they sailed through the program and managed to keep their boys on track with school and with sports. And after all that work and saving with the help of the Emmanuel House network, Simon and Rosine purchased their own townhouse in 2014.
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As I look through pictures of Cin and his wife with their young daughter, I remember well what it’s like to have an antsy, independent toddler in my own arms at family photo time. Getting just one shot of everybody smiling and looking at the camera can feel like a Herculean task. Cin and Lun, I sense, are as familiar with that struggle as my family is.
Of course, they’ve got some help.
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For the Zamudio family, togetherness means one hour every day. Eduardo and Crystal arrive home in separate cars with a cluster of boys from after-school activities, and their Aurora apartment lights up with life and fluorescent light. It’s 4:30pm – the single hour in the day when Crystal and Eduardo’s schedules overlap. Crystal is settling in after a long day at her job as a customer service representative. Eduardo is preparing to leave for the night-shift janitor position he’s held for 22 years. For this one window of time, they’re all together.
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Matthieu and his family left their birth country under threat of death. It took 8 years to get to the United States. And now, this family wants a home. I called Matthieu on a bright, warmer-than-usual Sunday afternoon. We’d intended to talk the day before, but the few times we tried he was in the middle of helping a friend move into a new apartment. Like the friend he was helping, Matthieu was born in the Congo. Choosing (or being forced) to move into a new apartment can be a frequent occurrence for families like theirs – or for any family that rents long-term.
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