Shelter for the Night
Imagine being forced to live and sleep in your car because sky-rocketing rent and circumstances beyond your control led to an eviction. Now imagine that you also have one-year-old twins and a six-year-old daughter you must care for while struggling with homelessness. This was the frightening situation one Rush County mother faced when she came to The Salvation Army for help.
After being evicted from her home, Sadie sought out help for her three young children and herself to save them from having to live in their car. Sadie and her children walked into the Main Street Christian Church in Rushville where Chip, a council member for the Rush County Salvation Army, is the pastor. Downtrodden and desperate, Sadie came in to share her story with Chip and see if he could help her with The Salvation Army’s emergency assistance funds. Due to a lack of childcare and the tightening of the job market in the area, Sadie was out of work. She was determined to find a way to care for her children in spite of their circumstances and to provide them with a clean, warm place to stay for the night.
Because of generous donations from Rush County residents during the holidays and throughout the year, Sadie's family had shelter that night. Chip secured a two-night hotel stay with Salvation Army funds to give her time to make new living arrangements. He also used church funds to help Sadie fill up her car with gas. When she learned about the help that could be provided to her, Sadie began to cry in Chip’s office, the relief washing over her that not only she, but also her precious children, would be safe and warm for the night.
“I get four to five people a day coming in and requesting help with their difficult circumstances,” Chip shared while reflecting on Sadie’s heartbreaking story. He has seen a lot of need in his community in recent years, and especially over the past three years as a volunteer with The Salvation Army. “Some people will let their electricity be turned off just to be able to pay for their rent. With our limited funds, I’m usually only able to write five to six checks a month to help those in need.”
Each person who comes into Chip’s church to ask for assistance from The Salvation Army is in desperate need of help, having fallen on tough times and needing love. Chip is thankful for donors who enable him to provide this love in different ways. “Helping people in need is communicating God’s love to people, and that is what we want to do,” he explained.
Since receiving lodging, Sadie has not returned for more assistance from The Salvation Army. Having a safe place to stay with her three young children for a few nights, and a car full of gas, gave Sadie the relief she needed to get back on her feet. “Sadie was a wonderful, nice, resourceful, and able woman,” Chip recalled. “All she wanted was to not have to live with her kids in her car.” Thanks to donors like you, this young mom and her children found safety and were shown the love of God as they made a new beginning together.