Living in a van is no place for a family

Abdul Shahied has a pretty good idea of what might have happened to his wife and four children without Harford Family House. In spring 2009, they were living in the family van after moving to Harford County and learning that the job he expected to get was not to be.

“We would have lost everything and had to go to a homeless shelter. We would have been separated. Most shelters are designed for mothers and kids. If there was no room at the shelter, we would have been sleeping on the streets and open to crime.”

WAGE Connection, a local workforce service who was helping Mr. Shahied seek new
employment, referred them to Harford Family House. As often happens to families in
crisis, there were more problems: Mrs. Shahied became ill and was soon diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis.

During that time, she recalls a recurring thought: “Where do we go from here?”
Harford Family House helped them answer that question. They matched the family to
one of the larger townhouse units available. While the family settled in and attended to
Mrs. Shahied’s new health issues, they also tackled budgeting, job hunting and getting
their children settled in school. Mr. Shahied now has permanent employment in a local
warehouse.

A year after arriving at Harford Family House, the Shahieds moved to permanent
housing, just a few doors away from their transitional house. The children didn’t even
have to change school bus stops.

The Shahieds are quick to recognize the part that Harford Family House played in
helping their children to weather the crisis. “They are in a secure place, they know this
is their house and that we are all going to be together here,” says Mr. Shahied.