Mario and Carla are like any other parents of a one and two year old. They are striving to make a good life for their family.
When we met Mario and Carla, they were all four living in a hotel room waiting for space to open up in a shelter. Carla continued working and Mario was searching for a position. For 15 years, Mario worked for his father’s construction business but was never certified. When Mario’s father died suddenly, he found himself out of work. Now, he and his family faced the very real possibility of life with no roof over their heads.
Imagine the heart breaking prospect of not having a home for your two little girls.
A friendly stranger put Mario in touch with Horizon House. With our help, Mario and Carla found a room in a shelter and eventually a two-bedroom apartment. Through our Opportunity Knocks job readiness program, Mario polished his resume and elevator speech.
“The people at Horizon House have got a path set up for you,” Mario says, “You need a job? They’ll help you make a resume. They’ll help you learn what you need to learn. Hook you up with a nice pair of slacks, button-down shirt, some nice shoes, leather belt for a job interview.” In addition, Horizon House provided bus passes to to get to the interviews and interview preparation.
Mario beams, “I got the job.”
Both Carla and Mario are working and have stable child care as well as their own apartment. Things are looking up for this young family. Mario dreams of a life of stability and security for his daughters. He plans to enroll in a pre-engineering program and Carla hopes to go to nursing school. “I want to see us both in school,” Mario says, “Whatever i need to do, I’m going to do it. I want us to get the kind of education that will help us get better jobs and prevent homelessness forever.”
The help you offer neighbors like Mario and Carla really can lead to stability for life.
“Horizon House made this possible,” Mario says. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to feed my family. I wouldn’t be able to support them. Christmastime’s rolling around – and if nothing else, I at least want to come into the house with one gift for everybody just to show my love and appreciation. Now I can do that, because I’m working.”
Help other families facing such circumstances make a life for their children by donating to Horizon House. Now, your donation will be matched by the Central Indiana Senior Fund (CISF) in December so your gift will make a bigger impact and help more families.
What your Donation could provide:
$100 donation provides hot showers for 40 neighbors.
$250 donation provides hot coffee for 1,375 neighbors.
$500 donation provides bus transportation for 125 neighbors to get to job interviews
$1,000 donation provides security deposits for two families.
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