One Family’s Journey to Stability
When local Bellevue mother, Raisa, first received the court summons taped to her apartment door, her first thought wasn’t about herself. It was about her two kids, Sophia, 9, and Simon, 6, and where they would sleep if they lost their home.
Raisa’s story is similar to that of many local parents facing housing insecurity who turn to Bellevue LifeSpring in their time of need. In June alone, Bellevue LifeSpring provided emergency rent support to 46 families—85 children among them—to help keep them safely housed.
Our waitlist this month is growing, and we are seeing more families arrive with court summons in hand. Raisa represents one of these families. She works full-time at a local warehouse and does her best to keep up with bills and the rising cost of living in the community she loves so much. But her son Simon, who has a developmental disability, requires ongoing therapy and specialized medical care that insurance doesn’t fully cover.
Between co-pays, therapy sessions, and a hospital stay earlier in the year, Raisa’s budget had no room left to absorb a setback. So when Raisa experienced a medical emergency herself that landed her in the hospital for two weeks, she fell two months behind on rent.
Her landlord filed for eviction. The court date was set, and Raisa was out of time and out of options.
That’s when a Family Support Specialist at Sophia’s elementary school mentioned Bellevue LifeSpring’s Emergency Rent Assistance Program. Jessica almost didn’t call—between Simon’s appointments and her work schedule, asking for help felt like one more thing she didn’t have time for. But she thought about Sophia and Simon, and she picked up the phone.
Within days, a Bellevue Lifespring Family Support Administrator sat down with Raisa to understand her full situation. Bellevue LifeSpring’s timely emergency rent assistance covered the past-due balance, stopping the eviction in its tracks. Raisa didn’t have to stand before a judge or pack up her children’s lives into boxes.
With the threat of eviction gone, she could finally shift her focus from crisis mode to something she hadn’t had room for in months: planning ahead. She could stop choosing between rent and medical bills.
For Sophia and Simon, staying in their home meant something simpler, but no less important: staying put. They didn’t have to say goodbye to their bedrooms, and Simon didn’t have to lose his trusted medical care. For a child whose routines and care team are central to his progress, that continuity mattered enormously.
Sophia kept her spot in the school choir and didn’t have to take on the worry that often falls on children during a housing crisis. Stability at home meant stability everywhere else, and for both kids, that meant more room to simply be kids.
Today, Raisa is enrolled in our Family Support Program and working one-on-one with a trusted Family Support Specialist on her goals of building stronger financial habits, finding a higher-paying job, and enrolling in a local resource that will continue to help her build stability and self-sufficiency.
Hear what parents like Raisa are saying about their experience in our Family Support Program:
“Barriers and limitations will always exist, and the path will not always be easy… but if we have the right people to give us momentum and direction, we can more easily reach our objectives.”
“I always felt support, kindness, and warmth during every meeting. Bellevue LifeSpring became like a family for us, and that meant so much during an important time in our lives.”
“Thanks to the program, I found a job and learned how to write a resume tailored to different vacancies, which was extremely helpful and gave me more confidence during my job search.”
Your support makes experiences like this possible for children and families right here in Bellevue. Invest in Bellevue families today.
