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› What We Do › Change Lives
Tamara's Story
Growing up, I lived with my mother, father and brother. Life was hard. My mother was a bartender and worked nights and my father was a mechanic, but did not have steady work. There wasn't a lot of supervision, but there was always a roof over my head and food on the table. When I was seven years old, my three much older sisters, who had been living with my grandmother since long before I was born, came to live with us after she passed away. My oldest sister had three children; my niece lived with an aunt and my two nephews moved in with my family until DYFS took them away. My sister drank a lot.
My mother drank a lot, too. Even though she functioned, keeping her job and taking care of the family and the house, I knew she was an alcoholic. But there was nothing I could do for her. Eventually it killed her. I was nearly 18 years old and pregnant when she died. A few months later my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died a year later.
I was 19 years old with no parents, no one to relate to, and I was just looking for someone to love me. I was pregnant again.
The Section 8 subsidized housing certificate my parents had was supposed to be passed along to both me and my brother since we both were on the lease and over 18 years of age. But, somehow, my brother was able to get the certificate put into his name only. He then moved out of the state, leaving me and my children homeless.
At this point, me and my children were illegally sharing a small apartment with my cousin and her child. Because I was not on the lease, I had no address to give to Welfare for fear of getting my cousin in trouble, so they cut off my benefits. My oldest sister came to live there too. She was also homeless and still without her children.
However, I refused to sit around doing nothing to change the direction my life was heading, the only way of life I've ever known. Although no one in my family had finished high school, I found out that Kenmare was an alternative high school for women who had dropped out of public school and I began attending, full-time.
Then, one day, I came home from school to find an eviction notice posted on the door. My cousin had not been paying the rent, but rather taking the money that I was giving her and spending it on herself.
Through Kenmare, I learned about St. Joseph's Home. Eventually, a spot opened up and my family moved in. My children attended The Nurturing Place. Now that I had an address, Welfare reopened my case and put me in the job search program.
I have graduated from Kenmare High School and I'm thinking about applying to community college. I found a job at a fast food restaurant, which only earns minimum wage and has no benefits, but it is more than Welfare provided me with and I am happy to be doing something. Because of the York Street Project, I am finally on the right path.
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