A home saved, a family supported: Steve’s story
How The Sharing Center helped a local family overcome housing instability, health challenges, and financial hardship
A story of hope and resilience
For Steve and his family, the past year was filled with hardship. After becoming unable to work due to severe health conditions, including osteoarthritis and multiple surgeries, Steve’s household income disappeared. His wife’s job hours were cut, bills were mounting, and eviction was looming. After 10 years of building a life in their home with children and grandchildren, they were just days away from losing it all.
“We were literally about a week and a half away from the judge going to tell us to get out because we just didn’t have the money,” Steve shared. “And they came in at the last minute and saved the day.”
That moment of relief came from The Sharing Center.
Help when it was needed most
Steve reached out to The Sharing Center for help and found more than he expected. Through our Client Services team, his family received emergency rent assistance, which brought their account up to date and prevented them from losing their home.
“We’ve been there about 10 years now. It’s become our home. We’ve customized it to us, with the kids and the grandkids,” Steve said. “It would have been really terrible to be homeless.”
In addition to eviction prevention, The Sharing Center has supported Steve and his family with:
- Food from the Pantry
- Clothing vouchers for the Thrift Store
- Assistance accessing medical care for his wife’s severe carpal tunnel condition
“They helped my wife get the carpal tunnel surgery that she needed with the medical there,” Steve added. “That all stems back from The Sharing Center.”
More than a resource. It’s a lifeline.
“The process was very easy,” Steve said. “It was pretty detailed on the paperwork, but they tell you all that ahead of time.” Even during difficult visits, the team treated him with care and patience. “I just got out of a full cast. I’m left-handed, so I couldn’t write. They were actually helping me with some of that one time when I came to get food.”
Over the years, The Sharing Center has helped Steve’s family in ways big and small, from emergency financial aid to simple household needs. “This past Halloween, we came here, and for the price of maybe one or two kids at the regular box store, we got costumes for every one of them.”
Even meaningful milestones were made possible. “My one daughter’s sweet 16 dress came from the thrift store,” he said. “We found one for 20 or 30 bucks. It was the one she wanted. It was awesome.”
A daughter’s words and a father’s gratitude
The most emotional moment came when Steve shared what his daughter told her nurse after being diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“She asked her, ‘What is your happy place?’ She said, ‘My dad’s porch. The house they just saved.”
Steve held back tears as he reflected on that moment. “Had it not been for The Sharing Center, saving it for us wouldn’t even be possible.”
What makes The Sharing Center different
Steve expressed his deep appreciation not just for the help but for how it was given. “They definitely care,” he said. “Some places didn’t even want to hear anything. They just shot us down real quick. But here, zero of that. That would be my biggest thing: the compassion.”
He also had a message for donors. “If they hadn’t given, then we wouldn’t have gotten. It’s a very needed cycle. Thank you. Because otherwise none of this would be possible.”
A chance to move forward
Though the support was recent, Steve can already feel the weight lifting. “We’re still in the all-shock mode. Super grateful. Speechless,” he said. “Now this gave us that breather. And with my wife’s new job, she’s making more and getting her full 40 hours, we should get back on our feet.”
Steve’s story is one of resilience, compassion, and the power of a community that shows up when it matters most.
See Steve’s full story and hear from other individuals and families whose lives were changed:
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