LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In a house tucked away in Henderson, there are moms who aren’t sure what the future holds.
“They do push you to be independent, but at the same time it is not a force down your throat,” MaKeala Easterling, a 21-year-old mom said.
Easterling and her two-year-old son are calling Living Grace Homes their home. She said just before the holidays she was falling behind on rent, and around this time she was having issues with her child’s father.
“Me and him, we are good when we are good, but it is bad when it is bad and it got to a point where it became physical,” Easterling explained. She eventually found the courage to leave.
“You think to yourself, ‘Oh if this happens, then I’m going to leave,’ but then when those things happen you don’t feel mentally ready to leave,” Easterling said.
Easterling went to a different shelter in the valley where she was told to leave after a certain amount of time, and then she found Living Grace Homes. It is a women’s shelter that helps young or expecting mothers experiencing homelessness.
“The last few weeks before Christmas, we normally see an uptick by at least a half,” Kathleen Miller the executive director said.
Miller said that around this time, they are always expecting the phone to ring.
“This time of year, there are heightened emotions they are stressed out. Somebody loses a job or doesn’t have the funds for a Christmas present, and oftentimes arguments ensue and it is the person that doesn’t have the income that is asked to leave,” Miller said.
When that call comes, they respond no matter what day it is.
“We have picked up ladies at 10 o’clock on Christmas Eve because they were being put out. We have picked them up on Christmas Day,” Miller said.
The organization helps women learn about financial literacy and life skills until they can be on their own two feet.
“This just gives me the foundation to be able to do it,” Easterling said.
There is currently a waiting list, but Miller said sometimes space does become available.
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