Below is a story of a mom of three who visited our Bellevue Family Hub in search of a helping hand during her time of need. While each family’s experience is different, this story is reflective of many of the experiences we hear from the families we support and showcases how the generosity of our community can make a significant difference in the lives of the Bellevue children and families who need it most.
“Hi, I’m a mom of three beautiful children, and we live here in Bellevue. Things started going downhill when my middle child, my son, began having health issues. That’s when the debt began to pile up.
I was working nights so I could be at home with my youngest, my 4-year-old, during the day. When my oldest child would get home from school, she would watch my son and my little one, and I would head to work. I know that was really hard for her. She struggled to finish her homework. But I just didn’t know what other situation would work for us.
I tried to manage it all. I used up my savings to get my son the special care he needed. But once the savings was gone, the late fees started rolling in. I just couldn’t keep up with the payments along with everything else. I felt so overwhelmed and trapped between paying rent or paying off debt. If I tried to pay both, there wouldn’t be enough for groceries at the end of the month.
Then, one day, I had just gotten home in the morning from working all night, and I found a notice taped to our door—an eviction warning for being just six days late on our rent. I started to panic. The thought of losing our apartment terrified me. I remember living in a car with my dad when I was younger, and I didn’t want that for my kids.
Then, I found Bellevue LifeSpring. I’m tearing up already just thinking about it because, honestly, all we needed was someone in our corner, someone to say, “We’re here to help.”
When I visited the Bellevue Family Hub, I was able to get rent support, which allowed me to catch up and get in good standing with our medical debt. But what really made a difference was the one-on-one support I received from the staff. They didn’t look at me with pity—they looked at me with understanding.
They shared with me that I could enroll my four-year-old in preschool with the Bellevue School District. I know it sounds silly, but I just didn’t know about that option. Now, my youngest is in Pre-K, and I was able to switch to a day shift. It means the world to me that I can now be home with my kids after school.
We also received food vouchers this summer, which allowed me to purchase healthy groceries for the kids. My littlest loves berries—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries—all of them! We went shopping and picked out yogurt and blueberries for breakfast. My goodness, the smile on her face the next morning could have lit up the room.
My middle and oldest children also received support through the Clothes-4-kids program. My oldest picked out new red platform Converse sneakers. She was so determined—I couldn’t even suggest another style. When the shoes arrived in the mail, she didn’t even open the box until the first day of school. Let me tell you, she marched into school like she was on a runway. I saw a spark in her that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
The support we received from Bellevue LifeSpring wasn’t just financial—it was emotional. Honestly, Bellevue LifeSpring saved the whole summer for me and my kids. It just felt like a big hug of support.”
Watch this video from Uncork the Night to hear two more stories of support.
Bellevue LifeSpring prioritizes family’s privacy. Personal identifiers in stories are removed or altered when requested, and any identifiable information is only included with permission from the family.