For many of us, work represents stability.
It’s what we’re told will keep food on the table, the heat on in winter, and a roof overhead. It’s the promise that if you do everything right - show up every day, take extra shifts, budget carefully - you’ll be able to provide a safe place for your family to come home to at night.
But for a growing number of families in our community, full-time work is no longer enough to guarantee housing.
At CAPTAIN Community Human Services, we meet parents every day who are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do. They are working, often in essential roles that keep our communities running, and still struggling to make ends meet.
They are home health aides caring for seniors. Retail workers helping customers. Childcare providers supporting other working parents. Maintenance staff keeping buildings safe and functional. Food service workers making sure families are fed.
They are working hard.
And still, they are at risk of losing their homes.
The Math No Longer Adds Up
Across our region, wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, especially when it comes to housing. Rent has climbed dramatically in recent years, while the number of affordable housing units has steadily declined.
Today, many working families are spending more than half of their monthly income just to stay housed.
That leaves very little room for anything else.
So when an unexpected expense comes along (and it always does), the impact can be immediate and devastating:
- A sick child who needs medication
- A car repair that can’t wait
- Reduced hours at work
- A heating bill during a cold snap
- Childcare costs that rival a second rent payment
For families without savings (and many simply don’t have the ability to build any when so much of their income already goes toward basic needs) even one of these challenges can mean choosing between paying rent and keeping the lights on.
When rent goes unpaid, eviction notices follow quickly.
And once an eviction is on record, finding another landlord willing to rent to your family becomes incredibly difficult.
Homelessness Doesn’t Happen Overnight
For some families, the loss of housing happens gradually: missed payments, late notices, couch-surfing with relatives or friends.
For others, it happens all at once: after a medical emergency, job disruption, or the need to flee an unsafe living situation.
But increasingly, the families seeking help are not unemployed.
They are parents who leave for work each morning unsure of where their children will sleep that night.
Your Support Changes the Outcome
At CAPTAIN CHS, we believe in lifting people up and building brighter futures and your support makes that possible.
When a working parent falls behind due to circumstances beyond their control, timely assistance can mean the difference between stability and homelessness. Compassionate support from neighbors like you can help cover a short-term rental gap, provide case management to navigate housing options, or connect families with childcare, transportation, and employment resources that make long-term stability possible.
Because homelessness doesn’t begin the day a family loses their home.
It begins much earlier in the quiet moment when a parent realizes that despite working full-time, they’re running out of options.
Your generosity helps ensure that a temporary setback doesn’t become a lifelong crisis. It helps families remain housed, children remain in their schools, and parents remain connected to their jobs, preserving the stability they’ve worked so hard to build.
And most importantly, it reminds our neighbors that they are not facing these challenges alone.
