ASSIGNMENT: Provide emergency shelter to a single working mother and her two small children (a 2-year-old girl and a 9-month-old boy).
REFERRING OFFICER: Columbus Division of Police 11 Precinct Community Liaison Officer Robin Medley
Officer Medley has been a longtime friend of Starfish. Today he referred to us a single mother who had to immediately vacate her apartment due to unsafe conditions. The furnace hasn't been working for months, but the mom has been making do with space heaters. However, now there was a gas leak, so she had to leave. Ofc Medley says she'll have a place to stay as of January 26, but she needs a room until then, so he asked if we could help.
We've placed her in a clean, comfortable budget hotel that's close to her work. We ask for your donations to cover the cost of five nights. With tax, it's $298.40 (an average of $59.68 per night and includes breakfast). Any additional money that is raised will be given to the mom to help her get back on her feet. She has been selling her plasma to get extra money, so she's really doing everything she can for herself and her kids.
Code Enforcement Officer Maria Gonzales is also involved in this Assignment, working with Ofc Medley due to the conditions not just in this apartment but in others on site. She'll be our guest speaker at our February meeting, along with 13 Pct Ofcs Heidi Graber and Aaron Neil. Ms. Gonzales was very relieved to hear that we were able to help this little family out.
