Veteran on the Brink of Homelessness: Robert and Maria’s Story

Robert and Maria prided themselves on being “salt of the earth people.” Robert came home in 1991 after serving in the Gulf War and transitioned into ironworking and welding. He soon met Maria who was just starting a career as a teacher. They fell in love and began their lives together. With their daughter Elena, Robert and Maria lived a simple life, experiencing common ups and downs, but stayed stable, humble, and happy.

Years later, Robert began experiencing shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and fatigue. The family’s insurance plan lacked any real preventative care or oversight by medical staff and his employer didn’t offer much paid time off, so he shook it off and continued to work as if nothing was wrong.

Over the next several years, maintaining housing and even basic needs became more difficult due to the pandemic, rising costs, and health issues. Then it happened. Robert collapsed on the job site and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He began treatment for his condition but needed at-home services, along with many other interventions that the family could not afford. So, Maria took an extended leave from work to take care of him while still caring for their daughter, Elena.

With neither of them working, the bills piled up. After exhausting all rental assistance help from community rental programs, Maria reached out to UMOM New Day Centers. The couple was quickly enrolled in UMOM’s Veteran program where they received desperately-needed rental and utility assistance services to keep them from being evicted.

With UMOM’s help, both Robert and Maria are receiving veteran medical services, as well as long-term housing assistance to better meet their family’s needs. They are now living in a remodeled condo and continue to receive rental assistance. Maria has found a new job as a teacher, 7-year-old Elena is thriving, and Robert is improving dramatically with barriers removed and stressors reduced.

Note: This is a true story from an actual UMOM client. To protect our clients’ privacy, we have changed the names and used representative stock photos for this retelling.