Family Secures Housing Following Stay at Stepping Stones
After 12 months of working diligently to clean up their credit, prioritize a household budget, and increase their income, the Lawson family moved into their own house.
The family, which included dad, mom, and two sons, had fallen on some bad times before coming to The Salvation Army’s Stepping Stones Transitional Housing program. The father had difficulty sustaining employment due to an injury and working through other issues. Mom had lost her job due to COVID-19, and both sons were in high school. However, while at Stepping Stones, the parents received classes on budgeting and assistance on how to improve their credit.
After graduating from high school, the oldest son found employment, while mom also secured a job. Between both their incomes and assistance from the staff at Stepping Stones, the family was able to successfully rent a home. They are now self-sufficient and enjoying life again.
Stepping Stones is a Transitional Housing program at The Salvation Army that serves families meeting the HUD standards of being at, or below, 30% to 50% of the area medium income for Spokane County. Families may reside in this program for up to 24 months while they work toward finding affordable housing by increasing their income, paying off debt, and addressing issues that caused their homelessness. Due to the pandemic, most of the families needed more help and had to remain in place longer than the previous year.