Single mom struggles with homelessness
“Angela” knows as well as anyone how precious life is — and how it can change forever in a moment.
Four years ago, her boyfriend was murdered.
“I was on the phone with him five minutes before he was shot,” she said. “He was on the way to my house.”
Despite her grief and the challenges of suddenly becoming a single mom of twins, Angela was determined to transform her loss into something positive.
Six months after her boyfriend’s death, she got her high school diploma.
“It was something he always wanted me to do,” she said.
Angela is no stranger to hardship. Her relationship with her adoptive family is strained, and she’s been mostly on her own since she was just 15 years old. The loss of her boyfriend was devastating, she said, especially because his killer was never brought to justice.
“He ended up getting away with murder,” she said.
Earlier this year, Angela became homeless. She found a job in a restaurant but was later let go due to the pandemic.
“You’ve got to pick yourself up,” she said. “Bad things happen. You have to find the strength in yourself to be OK.”
She recently got a new job as a teacher’s aid — a ray of hope in an otherwise dark year.
“I’m ready for a new chapter,” she said.
But there’s another obstacle in her path: Her car broke down and she doesn’t have the money to fix it.
“It’s been one thing after another,” Angela said.
This holiday season, Angela is hoping for a miracle in the form of car repairs. She needs safe, reliable transportation so she can drive to work and take her twin children to school, where they’ve been thriving.
The twins were born Dec. 24 — a kind of Christmas gift, Angela said, and the reason she keeps moving forward, no matter what.
“I never gave up, and I never will, because my kids mean more to me than that,” she said.
This is the 35th year Press Christmas for All has worked to brighten the lives of Kootenai County residents in need.
Each year, Press readers donate generously to the program. Every penny raised is distributed to Kootenai County residents. All overhead costs are covered by The Hagadone Corp.
The gift recipients are our neighbors who are struggling, including the elderly, disabled, homeless and mentally ill.
Many who seek assistance from Christmas for All are working, but living near or below the poverty level. The beneficiaries of Press Christmas for All are going to keep their dignity intact while the community provides a hand up to help get them back on their feet.
Press Christmas for All is managed by The Hagadone Corp., with assistance from CharityReimagined.Org. It is a legally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers.
Please help. Make your tax-deductible donation today any of four ways:
• Mail a check to Press Christmas for All, 215 N. Second St., Coeur d’Alene, 83814
• Call The Press and make a secure credit card donation over the phone: 208-664-8176
• Go to cdapress.com. Click on All Sections at the top of the page, then click on Christmas for All 2020.
• Drop off your check at The Press weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.: 215 N. Second St. in downtown CDA.