New Hope Answers the Call
Fortunately, Justin and Kristie found their way to New Hope. And six years later, their family is thriving.
Justin and Kristie with their children
Six years ago, the couple and their three young children had hit a real low point. Try as they might, their part time jobs couldn’t cover the costs of housing their young family — especially without reliable care for their three young children. After weeks of couch surfing, they finally ran out of options.
Justin and Kristie dreaded the thought of moving their family into a shelter. "I was nervous,” said Kristie. “I was scared. I wondered if all of us would be together." But they took a leap of faith and dialed the phone number.
By chance (or perhaps providence), New Hope had an immediate opening. After arranging storage for most of their belongings with friends, Justin and Kristie moved their family of five into New Hope’s shelter.
Their children were part of the very first group to enroll at The Nest at New Hope, which had just opened its doors one month prior. With access to childcare, the family were able to quickly stabilize their income.
New Hope staff provided Justin and Kristie with the advocacy and expertise they needed to succeed with their application to the Bloomington Housing Authority. After just one month in shelter, Justin and Kristie moved their family into their own home.
In December 2021, they celebrated six years of stable housing!
Their children are growing and now there are four. The oldest, Vanessa, is in fourth grade but reading at a sixth grade level. Their second grader Bethie is proud to be learning sign language and Spanish and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Little Carson was only a few days old when they came to New Hope, but this August he started kindergarten and is loving every minute of it. Their youngest began preschool this year and can’t wait to join his older siblings at school next year.
“Providing a stable home for our children is really important to me,” commented Justin. “When I was growing up, my family moved a lot. I never had the same address for more than two years.”
Justin works for a local moving company. He is getting lots of hours and says he really likes the guys he works with.
Kristie has returned to school to complete the degree she abandoned so many years ago. She is preparing to apply for her dream job as a mortician, so that she can help to comfort and assist families during their time of loss. “This has always been one of my long-term goals,” said Kristie.
Kristie pointed out another benefit of a stable home environment: much improved birthday and holiday celebrations.
“Growing up in my family, we rarely celebrated holidays or birthdays. I want to make sure my kids are taken care of all the time, that they are able to celebrate like I never did.”
This year, the family saved up enough money to buy tickets for Kristie and their youngest daughter to attend a Luke Bryan concert for her birthday. “When they noticed my daughter’s ‘I’m the Birthday Girl’ shirt, they moved us up to the front row!”
After all they have been through, this family surely deserves an opportunity to move up to the front row. We are proud of Justin and Kristie and all this family have accomplished.