Susan called us early in December of 2001 to explain to us that she needed to leave the apartment complex she was staying in.  Because of her disability she is on a federal disability income and makes $771 per month, that is $9,252 a year.  As of the first of the year the owner was raising the rent by $50. Because Susan is on such a tight budget that extra $50, which would seem trivial to some, was enough to possibly cause homelessness.  We searched for weeks to find an apartment under $500 that did not have an income requirement of two or three times the rent.

(click for full picture)

The first of January came and went and even though she’d already given a 30-day notice to the complex in December, they graciously let her stay until the end of January.  One afternoon we were calling around to property owners to find out about current vacancies, and one owner referred us to another.  She said that Marie “has some nice places, that are furnished for a good price”.  We called Marie and explained to her Susan’s situation.  Even though she had hundreds of people calling for the place, she immediately wanted to meet Susan.

Susan is now living comfortably and happily in her new home, as the picture attests.