when home is within reach: our mobile outreach helps Jerome’s family bridge the gap

Jerome and his children, Juston and Jemma, had been living in their vehicle in South King County for several months.

There was no front door to close behind them at night. No bedrooms where the kids could sleep comfortably. No kitchen table for meals or familiar space where they could simply relax and feel at home.

Still, they kept going.

As a single father working full-time, Jerome was determined to build a more stable life for his children, even as his family endured tremendous loss. Juston’s mother had passed away, and Jemma’s was not in the picture. Jerome was doing his best to hold his family together while navigating homelessness and searching for a place where his children could feel safe and secure.

Eventually, the search paid off, and Jerome found housing.

But like so many families experiencing homelessness, there was one more barrier standing between his family and a home: the upfront cost of moving in. They were incredibly close to having a home, but they needed help getting through that final door.

That’s where the Mary’s Place outreach team stepped in.

Using flexible funding, we helped Jerome cover the costs of securing housing for his family and connected him to our Make-a-Home program for furniture and essentials.

That assistance meant more than paying a deposit. It meant Jerome could finally tell Juston and Jemma that they had a home. Now, at the end of a long workday, Jerome and his children have somewhere to return to that is truly theirs. Juston and Jemma have a safe place to sleep and space to be kids. And Jerome has the stability of knowing that the work he has put into moving his family forward has brought them to a new beginning.

Jerome’s story is also a reminder that homelessness can happen to families who are working hard every day. Often, what stands between a family and a home isn’t a lack of determination; it’s a deposit that’s hard to save for as the cost of food and gas rises, or another unplanned expense they simply can’t cover on their own.

Mary’s Place outreach team works with families experiencing homelessness in cars, tents, and other places not meant for habitation, helping identify solutions that can move them toward stable housing quickly. Flexible assistance can make all the difference when a family is ready to move forward but needs help overcoming one final financial barrier.

For Jerome, Juston, and Jemma, that help meant leaving nights in the car behind and opening the door to a safer, more hopeful chapter together.