Family of 7 Graduates from AHP

December 2024: In the winter of 2018, a family came to us for help. They had been living in a van with five children for the past four years.  The parents had recently overcome substance use disorders and were looking for any opportunity to rebuild their lives and create a stable home for their children. Our staff got to work, connecting the family to local resources from healthcare to food supports and obtaining the documents they would need to apply for housing. Our staff struggled to find a house that would accommodate the large family & still be affordable under a housing voucher. We worked with a local landlord and succeeded in getting them housed in Arcata under a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Voucher.

While being housed, they stabilized as a family. The mother got a job, and they successfully paid off their debts, building their credit scores and working towards financial independence. Our Case Managers worked with the family to set goals and plan for their future. This April, they moved into their own place out of town and graduated from the PSH Program. They are clean, financially secure, and in the process of buying their first home. Our staff are proud to report that the family is thriving and very much looking forward to this next chapter in their lives.