Success Stories

Keeping a Young Family Housed and Safe

Community Action has been there for my family since 2023, during one of the most frightening and life-changing periods of my life. In 2023, I was in a car accident that changed my life and my daughters’ lives forever. I was already struggling to keep our lives together, and the accident made everything even harder.

At a time when I was scared that I was going to lose the roof over my children’s heads, Community Action stepped in and helped us. Their housing assistance gave my family a chance to stay in our home when, without that help, my landlord would have evicted us. I will never forget what that meant to me as a mother.

Three years later, in 2026, Community Action is still helping my family. I have continued to face extremely difficult housing circumstances, including dealing with landlords and living conditions that have been unsafe and uninhabitable. Once again, Community Action has been one of the few places I have been able to turn to for guidance, support, and help navigating situations that I never imagined my family would have to face.

Community Action has been more than just a housing resource for my family. They have been a lifeline.

There have been moments when I genuinely did not know how I was going to keep a home over my children’s heads. As a mother, that is one of the most terrifying feelings in the world. You can endure a lot yourself, but watching your children face the possibility of homelessness is something no parent should have to experience.

Because of Community Action, my family has had someone standing beside us during those moments.

Their support has helped us survive circumstances that could have completely changed the course of our lives. They have helped me find stability when everything around me felt unstable. They have given me resources, guidance, and, most importantly, hope when I felt like I was running out of options.

Today, I am still fighting to build a safe and stable future for my children. We have been through more housing instability and hardship than any family should have to experience, but we are still here. I am still working toward a better life for my children, and I have not given up.

I truly believe that without Community Action, my family and I would have been homeless by now.

Their help didn’t just keep us housed—it gave my children and me the opportunity to keep moving forward. It gave me the ability to wake up each day and focus on being a mother instead of constantly wondering where we would sleep or how I was going to keep my children safe.

I am incredibly grateful for Community Action and the people who have supported my family over these past three years. They have been there during some of the darkest chapters of our lives, and their support has helped us continue writing the next chapter.

For my children, that means everything.

-Kaylie, Housing client

Keeping the Heat On during Difficult Times

“I truly appreciate all that you have done for me and my kids. I could never thank you enough for quite frankly, saving my life. I was going to make this short, sweet, and not deep… but I’m given a chance to tell someone how valuable they are, and I can’t pass that up. Sorry it’s so long, you don’t have to read it, I just wanted to explain the depth of my gratitude.

It’s been an emotional and traumatic journey for my kids and I the past 5 years. My kids and I finally left my ex in hopes of a better life. Being a single mother of 4 lit a spark in me and gave me the strength to tackle and overcome obstacles for a while. (I think I was just mastering the fake it until you make it concept actually).

I thought my back was out, and I spent 2 weeks on my floor, not knowing I was actually dying. I had gotten so weak and so sick, so quickly. My brother happened to come over because he hadn’t heard from me in a few days (he had my kids) and found me unresponsive. When I got to the ER I had a temp of 108.2 … I could hear them talking, though I couldn’t move, and nobody thought I was going to make it. I had a kidney infection that turned into septicemia. It was a 3 month battle, but somehow they fixed me.

Before I got sick I was already struggling to stay afloat. Afterwards, I was drowning in bills, and my utilities had either already been shut off, or I had a final notice for it. I reached the bottom of my savings account months prior, and had nothing. Every daycare in the valley has a wait list for kids 2 and under, and I have two that are 2 and under. I’ve been on several places wait lists for months, and unable to work.

I had hit many what I thought were, rock bottoms over the years. But that was the one that actually was my rock bottom. I don’t really have a ‘support system’ in my life, and in my previous relationship I was isolated to where the few people I did have, were gone too. With winter fast approaching and no heat in my house, I knew my only option was calling different agencies/ businesses and ask for help. I called several places in and out of the valley and every single one of them said they couldn’t help me.

My mental health had plummeted over the last few years due to the relationship with my ex, and it was only getting worse. It was painful to even think about my kids continuing to suffer. I had left my ex because I needed them to have a better life, and to fail was devastating.

It took a lot out of me to ask for help, and getting turned down so many times was almost crippling. There wasn’t any part of me that I found worth in, and I gave up. (I see a counselor every week now, and we’ve actually discussed this letter… I’m doing and feeling so much better today, my kids are as well). I had letters written, which had my wishes for my kids, and I was overcome with peace knowing that I wouldn’t have to live in my headspace anymore. I was going to drop my kids off at my brothers the next morning.

After my kids went to sleep I stayed up looking up stuff on my phone. I somehow came across an ad about grants, which somehow led me to looking at various WA state websites, which led me to somehow finding your email address, and for some reason, I actually emailed you. I still don’t understand why I sent an email asking for help, knowing that I wasn’t going to be here even if I did get a response. Desperation maybe? Hoping for a sign from God? I don’t know.

What I do know is this- you called me within hours after I sent that email. That hope that I had been longing for, for so long at that point, came with that phone call. Somehow something aligned in the universe, and I remember sitting on the phone with you, taking a deep breath and my whole body felt so much lighter.

You probably just thought you were doing your job that day, but it’s way more than that. Whether it was-your diligence, work ethic, passion for your job, or all of that plus more, I will forever be thankful for you for bringing hope into my life when my life depended on it. And to top it off, you actually put heat in my house too!

Words could never fully describe what I’m trying to say, but for my healing journey, I needed to try and express my gratitude.”