A new mom finds new hope

With a newborn baby, Janice was desperate to find stable housing

Before Janice* come to Vine Maple Place she had just delivered a beautiful baby girl. She was living in a high stress situation, ‘couch-surfing’ with a family member but aware she would likely be required to leave at any moment.

    At Vine Maple Place, Janice found a safe and secure home where she could catch her breath, assess her resources, and make some plans.  She also took advantage of the financial training VMP offers. “I learned how to build a budget, which is so great. And I pulled my credit history for the first time ever. The results were hard to hear, but it was good to know that I needed to do some repair there. Vine Maple Place helped me clean that up.“

    With a steady income now, Janice is able to move into a place of her own. But she doesn’t intend to stop there. She has her sights set on a B.A. in business. With the tools she gained at VMP, her future is bright .

* identity protected

Therapeutic art

Giving children the opportunity to express themselves

Many children come to Vine Maple Place traumatized by the things that caused their family to become homeless. Often they are unable to articulate the complex emotions such trauma brings., and an artistic outlet can help.

    All the children at Vine Maple Place have the option of attending a weekly art class, designed to give  them lessons in expression. The emphasis is on the therapeutic value of art rather than technical instruction, however many times the class leads the child to an interest in pursuing technical instruction. 

    The art class also acts as a bridge over the summer between school years. Children are able to assimilate more quickly back into the academic year when they’ve had organized instruction over the summer.

    Desirae Cook, Vine Maple Place’s  child advocate, finds great value in the program. “The kids are usually hesitant at first, but after a few weeks they are eager to participate.  We’ve had some great breakthroughs where kids have expressed fears. Once they’re expressed, we can deal with them. I am so grateful to the many people who support Vine Maple Place! Without their help, valuable programs like this wouldn’t be possible.”

 A donated car is taking this mom places

Ruth’s donated car has broadened her horizons

Transportation problems have plagued Ruth* for years. With three children to get to school and other activities, along with a job and classes of her own, a reliable car is a necessity. A few years ago she had just finished paying off her mini-van, only to be hit by another driver. With that vehicle totaled, she put the insurance money into repairing a car belonging to a relative, who said she could have it.After the vehicle was up and running well, the relative reclaimed it. At that point, Ruth began driving a pickup truck, which ran well but required that she make two trips each way to bring her kids to school or other functions. A kind employer donated his car to her when he purchased a new vehicle, but it ran poorly and was unreliable. This was the car she was driving when she found haven at Vine Maple Place. She was unable to venture far, for fear of breaking down. After several months of financial training and budgeting help, Ruth was ready to receive a donated car from a generous VMP donor.  It runs well, and is maintained with help from a Rotary of Maple Valley grant. Ruth can now go where she needs to go without fear, and the road of opportunity beckons!

* identity protected

A legacy of hope

Vine Maple Place’s 100th homeless family moves forward after tragedy

 Vine Maple Place reached a milestone this summer when we welcomed our 100th resident, Hannah, and her children. Her story embodies the stories of many of the residents who have come before her.

    Her journey to homelessness began in an abusive marriage. “I kept going back into the situation, trying to keep my family together, thinking he would change”, she said.

    Tragically, one night while she was working, her husband assaulted their 4 month old baby daughter. With that incident, life changed dramatically for Hannah.

    Her daughter was on life-support in ICU at Children’s Hospital with severe and irreversible brain damage. Hannah permanently moved out of the home she shared with her husband. She lived at the hospital with her daughter while her son stayed with family. After her child’s eventual release from the hospital, Hannah and her children ’couch-surfed’ with family members for 2 years, moving at least four times during that period.

     "I was in a very low place and could see no way out. I was devastated and blamed myself for my daughter being hurt", she says of that time.

   Filled with so many deep and painful emotions, Hannah’s situation was extremely difficult. She was left to pick up the pieces of her life while her now ex-husband sat in jail. For her the worst part was seeing her once healthy daughter suffer every day, but none of it was easy. “My kids were affected the most and our family was broken. I was a divorced, single mom with two kids  - one disabled  - with no job, no home, and stuck”.

    After two years of instability, Hannah was desperate to get her life back. She felt a deep need to start over, get stable, and start living again. Being accepted into the program at Vine Maple Place brought profound relief and an unaccustomed feeling of hope.

    “I was overwhelmed with happiness when my children and I were accepted into the program. We have a beautiful home and great support here.”

    There is long road of recovery ahead for Hannah and her family, but she is already taking steps to begin healing. Now that she has a safe place to live, she has been able to begin processing and grieving all that has happened. At Vine Maple Place, she’ll have the support she needs to move forward.