“Amber’s” husband “Barry” had a job learning to be a sheet metal fabricator. He had a medical emergency that required multiple surgeries and time out of work. He eventually lost his job because of further medical complications and then they lost their house. Amber had been working part time but she lost her job as the family of five moved into a temporary homeless shelter for veterans. The goal of this shelter was to help the veterans get back working and move to more permanent housing.
Barry got a job driving a truck and was required to go to Florida for a training session that would take a week. The trucking company paid for his transportation to Florida. When he got to Florida he found out that the session was five weeks rather than one. This put the family in jeopardy at the temporary shelter. Their temporary housing was for three weeks at a time and, as the veteran, Barry was required to be there in person to renew the temporary housing. They received notice of eviction from the temporary shelter. Barry had to find his way back from Florida as the trucking company would not pay to send him back before completing the course.
Barry made his way back to his family in the shelter and convinced the shelter manager not to put his family on the street. And of course after this mishap, the driving job fell through.
Once again Barry had the bad luck to require yet another hospitalization and doctors found a complication from the previous surgery. Currently this family is still in a shelter but it is not a transitional shelter. It is a difficult life. Their son is only eight years old and Amber says that he sees and hears way too much; more than any eight year old should. During all this time the family has been helped by the Shepherd’s Pantry and Amber says that she thanks God for this Pantry, and wonders what they would have done without this help.