House keys sit on an eviction notice received in the mail. (Getty Images)
“Day in and out I work to make ends meet. Luckily, I can come home at the end of the day to my wife and two daughters. As a father, I do everything to make sure my family is living a happy life. Because I am the sole provider for my family, some days are exhausting, but I am so grateful my wife can stay at home with our 4- and 2-year-old daughters. Everything was good until my family got sick with strep throat. My job is physically demanding and I was out of work for two weeks.
I’m finally well enough to go back, but we’re short two weeks of income and can’t pay our rent along with other living expenses. After trying to make small payments, we received an eviction notice on the 5th of the month. We have no family here and none of our friends are financially stable enough to help. This was the first time we had ever experienced something like this, so we didn’t know where to turn. Jesse Tree contacted us before our court date asking if we wanted to take part in pre-court mediation. With their support, we made a pay-to-stay agreement with our landlord. Jesse Tree paid our remaining balance and connected us to resources that helped us get back on our feet. Thanks to Jesse Tree, we avoided an eviction, the stress of a sudden move-out, and homelessness.”