Home for the Holidays

For better or for worse. Unfortunately for Sam, her husband decided to not stick around through the “for worse”. Sam is a teacher in Northern Virginia, but when her husband left and refused to support his children financially, she found herself stuck in a position many single parents do, providing for two teenagers, one with a disability, but on one income.

With housing costs in our area as high as they are, Sam had to move to Stafford County to find housing that she could afford on her teacher’s salary. Making things worse, the divorce damaged her credit, so prospective landlords were demanding higher security deposits than they would for tenants with stronger credit.

The teenagers were still attending local Fairfax county schools, but because they were spending several hours commuting each day, they couldn’t participate in any extracurricular activities that would be beneficial to their college prospects.

Sam heard about Good Shepherd Housing from a co-worker, and she decided to fill out our housing application. We were almost as excited as she was to inform her that not only did she qualify for an apartment, but she qualified for a two-bedroom apartment, giving her children the space they need to be successful.

Sam and her children are moving in next month, and as a Christmas present, she has wrapped up pictures of the apartment to give to her children. She can’t wait to tell them they are moving back home to Fairfax!

2019 promises to be a great year for Sam and her family thanks to supporters like you, who make sure we can provide safe, quality homes to families like Sam’s.