Because we feel it is important that you know how and where your donations to Helping Hands are spent, here is what was done in the past week:

Electric 5 families $ 3,797.23
Water 4 families $ 2,217.80
Rent 34 families $16,938.24
Transportation 1 family $ 342.64
Total $23,295.91

One of the people we helped a while back came from a call from the office manager of a local warehouse. When she rented a storage room to a young woman she had no idea that the woman intended to live there. When she found out what was happening, she called our helpline.
As it turned out, the 24-year-old woman had been living in an apartment along with a roommate, however when the roommate moved out she could no longer afford the rent. Luckily, she was renting on a month-by-month basis so there was no lease that she could be held to. She works two part-time jobs that keep her going from 7 am until 10:30 p.m. Desperate for a place to stay until she could save up for a deposit on an apartment that she could afford, she rented the storage room. She slept in a sleeping bag on a lawn chair. No heat, no electricity, no plumbing facilities…nevertheless, she considered herself fortunate to have the security of a roof over her head.
While some of us try to ignore the fact that there are homeless people in Midland (or relegate them to the addicted or the mentally ill), there are many people like this young woman who, through circumstances beyond their control, end up living on the streets.
We told her story to a landlord we work closely with, and he was able to arrange an efficiency apartment for her. We paid the deposit so she could move in that very day. What a blessing for your financial support that makes assisting people such as this woman possible. God bless you!