Client Success Story

Our gaol is to showcase some of our success stories on these pages. Please revisit often to share the stories of some of our many clients who have taken up the mantle and moved into more sustainable lifestyles.

ANONYMOUS CAR DONATION
"Homeless family benefits from car"

Making a difference for a family, a car donation helps homeless family to start getting back on track with a job and housing. Ashley Mills has found new independence after receiving a donated car through the Community Humanitarian Resource Center Case Manager TaLana Chamberlain, seen in the background, helped to determine who would get the car.

Ashley Mills was stuck in a cycle. The homeless mother of two had several job prospects, but had no way to get to work aside from walking. She also had to walk Alex, 3, and Moriah, 5, to and from day care, and all that time living and walking on the street began to take its toll.
"They were always ending up sick, with runny noses and colds and flus," TaLana Chamberlain, Mills' case manager with the Community Humanitarian Resource Center, said. "It held her back from finding work. It was going to take her a long time to get out of the shelter." That was until a used Buick Park Avenue, donated anonymously to the CHRC, changed everything. The donation of the car, which was made in early December, allowed Mills to look for jobs, take her children to day care, and look for housing. As of the first of the year, Mills had found housing, was working at a job she enjoyed in Dannebrog, and was on her way to getting on her feet. In short, it allowed her to break the cycle. "I had a job a couple weeks before, but I couldn't get there," Mills said. "I'd still be in the shelter if it wasn't for this."

Cindi Preisendorf, the executive director of CHRC at the time, said a donation of this kind is very rare, but the problems faced by Mills and her family are not. Transportation is one of the more essential needs when someone is trying to leave a shelter or find a job, and oftentimes it's the most difficult solution to come by in cities without a mass transit system. The donor, Preisendorf said, was moved by a sermon on the subject given at a Catholic church in town. She said the donor hoped by donating a reliable car that it would shed light on the issues many homeless and near-homeless people face. "When they were looking to buy a new car, this donor was really moved to action," Preisendorf said. "The idea is if people knew about the problem, maybe more people would donate." The only stipulation put on the donation, Preisendorf said, is the car had to go to a family in the area. Preisendorf and Chamberlain put their heads together, and from all their cases, found Mills the most deserving based on the criteria. From there, they simply presented her with the car. "I don't remember how they did it," Mills said. "I think I was in shock."

While in the CHRC shelter, Mills had been able to save up enough money to pay for insurance and registration for the car. While there are expenses involved, not having a major expense like a car payment hanging over her head is another big advantage, Chamberlain said. The most important thing for Mills, Preisendorf said, is the car allowed her to break the cycle that had her trapped. "If people can't get a job because they don't have a car, and then can't get a car because they don't have a job, what do they do?" she said. "It can be really tough for people to break out of that sort of situation." For Mills, the gift which pulled up by her curb on Dec. 15, has done more than given her a way to get to work and back home. It has changed her life in more ways than she can count. "It's a Christmas I'll never forget, that's for sure," she said. "I have a job, I have an apartment for my kids, I have a car. It's done me a lot of good." To make a donation The anonymous donor hopes that by donating a reliable car to a homeless or near-homeless family, that more people will be moved to help in the same way (By Mike Bockoven    michael.bockoven@theindependent).