2007

She looked down at the prize box and then up at me, smiling. About this time yesterday she had been sitting on my lap, crying quiet tears and whispering, “I told my mom to give me money for the candy, but she didn’t.” Unlike some other children in the after school program, this was the first time I had seen Kerlyn cry. Although only five years old, she has been described by more than one person as a mother to the other children. She has been nurturing to me as well. She was the one who ran up to me and gave me a big hug on the first day of the Mary House after school program when she barely knew me. All she knew was that I was from Mary House. Now she was smiling again, forgetting the pain of not being able to afford candy, as she saw her favorite treat in the Mary House prize box. She whispered to me again, but this time without tears in her eyes, “Can I have two?” I cannot remember Kerlyn ever asking me for more prizes. She is good at following directions and easy to get along with. Usually I stand firm in the rule that each person gets only one prize, but as I hadn’t set a precedent with candy yet, I figured I could change the rules a bit. “Sure,” I said, glad that she was able to have two blow-pops instead of one. She deserved two. Then I watched as she ran over to her brother. “¿Lo quieres?” she asked her younger brother. Grinning, he grabbed the lollipop without a second thought. I smiled. There is so much I have to learn from these children.

2002

Eugene and Esperanza moved into Mary House with their two children in 1995 and completed the program in the Spring of 1997. While at Mary House Esperanza struggled with balancing commuting on public transportation, work, daycare and schools, doctor appointments, shopping, cooking, laundry, volunteer hours at Mary House, and strengthening her relationships with both children and husband, One afternoon in tears she shared her fears of estrangement from her growing adolescent son. Fourteen-hour days leave little time for sorting out language and cultural challenges between parents and children of immigrant families. Yet Esperanza found the time, to learn the language that had claimed her son, and became an advocate for her children as well as other children in the DC Public schools. After moving to California she worked in the public school system and in Utah where she and Eugene currently live with their children. Esperanza called on Christmas morning to wish our family the best and to say thank you. She wanted to thank us and Mary House for giving her family the opportunity to dream dreams, and to reach beyond the daily struggles and believe in themselves. They finally owned a home! While it has been seven years since living in Washington DC and a place called Mary House Esperanza felt it had been just yesterday when the seeds of possibilities were planted. While there is much pride in the numbers of families that have moved from Mary House into home ownership there is a harshness that is more prevalent than at any time in the twenty-two years that Mary House has been working in the community; the lack of affordable permanent housing is a crisis that is more than numbers and sound bites to the families that we serve. There must be more than lip service to the continuing crisis for the working poor and middle class of our community. Many of the families that are currently requesting housing from Mary House, or are living at Mary House are working, contributing and unable to secure safe affordable housing for their families. Mary House continues to celebrate with Esperanza, her family and the many families that have touched our souls with their fierce desire to be more.

1999

During the past year, four families have moved from our subsidized housing into owning their first home. One of these, Reina & Jose, came to us two years ago with their two-year-old daughter in need of shelter. Natives of El Salvador, both came to the United States for very different reasons. Reina came with her mother and seven siblings when she was ten years old. Jose came as a young man to find employment and send money back home to his mother and siblings. They met and married, and then found themselves unable to locate affordable housing. Before Mary House their "home" consisted of mats on the floor in the Adam's Morgan corridor, where they had been renting floor space from friends. After finding shelter with us, Reina & Jose soon moved into our transitional housing program. They immediately set out to build their financial independence, both working two jobs each, while Mary House helped them secure safe childcare for their little girl. Reina and Jose always found the time to attend house meetings, and took full advantage of our workshops and continuing education classes for home ownership. They independently sought out financing and secured the monies to purchase a home, and in just under two years at Mary House, they announced that they were leaving to move into their own home in Silver Spring, MD. And while most families move from Mary House into affordable rental space, we are blessed to provide the nurturing environment that encourages families to believe in the possibility of self-ownership.

1997

Zulfo arrived from Bosnia with his wife, two sons, and two brother-in-laws in April 1997. They arrived in the US with the help of another family member, having lost everything in the war and with no chance to return to their homes which were now in Serb held territory. Zulfo had been a truck driver for 17 years, and before the war he had considered himself rich, owning two houses and two cars. However, when we were introduced to Zulfo and his family less than two weeks after they arrived in Washington DC, they were depressed and without hope and already they were contemplating going back to Bosnia. Having nothing in Bosnia seemed better than having nothing in America. Immediately we were able to help with food and some needed repairs to their apartment, including fixing a front door that didn't lock, and tub that didn't drain, and a sink with no running water. We found Zulfo some part-time work the next day that was coordinated to allow him to continue with his daily English lessons. Prior to coming to the US, no English was spoken by any members of his family. The challenges that faced them included finding an apartment they could afford, getting their children into school, learning English and our culture, and obtaining what public assistance was available. They were out of money and their spirits had been trampled. Amazingly, with the help of Mary House supporters, volunteers and resources, Zulfo now talks of sponsoring other relatives who await help in refugee camps in Bosnia. He has a DC driver's license and a car, a full time job in a tool rental company in Columbia, MD, and they live in a Mary House transitional rental apartment that they can afford. The family enjoys a large garden, and his wife is able to make traditional Moslem clothes on their sewing machine. The children finished one month of school before the summer recess and are being tutored at home.

1996

The message on the answering machine sounded desperate, so instead of logging the phone call, I decided to call back immediately. Often, women are not inclined to share their problems freely over the telephone with a stranger, let alone a man, but this was not the case with Leslie. She was seven months pregnant, and immediately made it clear that Mary House was her last hope. She had called everywhere and talked to everyone, and no one was able to offer her housing. Her family was unable to help, the baby's father had run out, her car had been impounded for unpaid parking tickets, her college loans and other bills were stacking up unpaid, and the fines were mounting daily with no chance of reprieve. She had two weeks left at a friend's apartment before she had to be out when a roommate returned. She really wanted to keep her baby, but said if she couldn't find help within the week, she would be forced to turn to an adoption agency for help. At that time, I was currently renovating space in our Monroe Street home that would be ready within two weeks, so I committed Mary House to an interview as soon as Sharon returned. Leslie moved into Mary House August 1st, sharing a family environment with our live-in volunteer staff family, Debbie and Chris La Puma, and another participant, Ana and her one year old son, David. Debbie and Chris had been volunteers of Mary House for two years, but just recently had become live-in staff. Debbie also was 5 months pregnant. When the time came for Leslie to go to the hospital (in the middle of night, of course), Debbie and Chris drove her, and at first the hospital staff didn't know which mom was going into labor. Leslie's baby boy, Lucas, was born on October 1st. Debbie's baby girl, Rosie, came two months later on December 13th. The babies became great playmates, and have already been betrothed by their mothers. Leslie moved out a year later, was able to go back to school and finish her degree in drafting, and now works at an architecture firm. She and Lucas live in a two-bedroom apartment in Reston, near her mother and sister, and Rosie and Lucas have sleepovers at each other's houses every other week. Mary House was able to give Leslie the time and space she needed to regain control of her life, and in the process she and her son found lifelong friends.

1994

Gladys and Luis, along with their daughter Marcela, first came to Mary House in need of shelter. Luis had a part-time job, but it did not provide enough to cover their rent and other living expenses. They lived in shelter at Mary House for three months and then moved into a Mary House transitional housing unit. While in transitional housing, they were responsible to pay a rent scale designed to meet their income level, and at the same time they were required to contribute to a structured savings program to help them relocate to permanent housing. During this time, Luis was able to acquire full-time work and Gladys found a part-time job. After a year, they moved into their own apartment in Virginia. Unfortunately, after 18 months Luis' employer was forced to lower his payroll. Instead of laying off his employees, he reduced everyone's hours. Gladys and Luis found they could not make ends meet, and again contacted us at Mary House. Our first response was to help them with food; hoping work would improve. After several months, having used up their savings and with work still only part-time, Mary House again placed the family in our transitional housing program. Happily, Luis and Gladys both found full-time employment. With Mary House's help, they established a budget and once again started contributing to a savings program. Mary House helped Gladys and Luis apply for permanent housing though Manna, Inc. (A housing ownership program for low-income families). After six months they were approved for a loan, and on July 1, 1994 they moved into their own 2-bedroom condominium. We at Mary House celebrate with them as a family who has overcome many hurdles and arrived in a place that was only a dream during their hard times.