Martha’s Story

Emergency Assistance and COVID-19 Relief

After many years of instability, Martha finally has a roof over her head, a small reliable income, access to healthcare, and perhaps most importantly, hope for her family and her future.

All because she found her way to JFS. Here is Martha's transformative story.

Martha lives with her daughter and 8-year-old granddaughter, Emily, whom she cares for while her daughter works.

Martha's relationship with JFS began three years ago when she came to us with emotional and financial challenges. Homeless until recently, Martha’s poor health made it impossible for her to work. JFS first helped her access Medicare and Social Security Disability. But until that small income came through, Martha and her family faced the fear and uncertainty of eviction. Fortunately, JFS’s emergency assistance services provided rental assistance, which saved Martha and her family from becoming homeless again.

With this new stability, Martha could begin to face the many issues that had contributed to her situation. Like so many others on the streets, Martha had a history of childhood trauma. Thanks to therapy with a JFS counselor subsidized by our donors, she has been working hard to process and move through her troubled past. She is now able to be a supportive caregiver and grandma as well as supervise Emily’s online schoolwork during this pandemic. In fact, Emily often peeks her head into Martha’s online therapy sessions just to say hello!

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Please consider a gift to JFS.

Your year-end donation can help change the ending of someone’s story.