Story 9: Helping KT and Her Son Find a Family Home
KT never imagined that motherhood would put her housing at risk. But when she disclosed her pregnancy to her landlord eleven years ago, the response was an illegal eviction. Too overwhelmed to fight, she moved in with friends. After several more moves with her baby, KT found the stable housing she wanted and the family settled into a renovated INHS apartment building in downtown Ithaca, where they still live today.
As an immigrant, KT doesn’t have local family support, so reliability is important to her. “I’m a single mother with a low income, without any immediate family support, so I feel quite alone,” she explains. “But having an agency that is very solid as an organization and knowing that people who work there are very supportive and kind just gives me a huge comfort.”
KT works in education and human services, and she feels that INHS “reflects my values… I feel good about being part of INHS’s commitment to the community.” For KT, that community includes the neighbors in her building, the nearby shops and restaurants that she can walk to, and INHS staff as well. “The maintenance people are amazing,” she shares, “very kind, very helpful, very responsive.”
KT is grateful for the stability that INHS housing has brought her family. “When the housing situation is rocky, everything gets rocky,” she says. “Having a safe place and comfortable place to live—it’s really huge.”
