Sometimes $300 Is the Difference Between Homelessness and Home
Last Friday, I made a phone call not knowing if we were going to find an answer.
By Monday, Edward was moving into his new home.
Edward had been through a lot. A stroke and traumatic brain injury left him with significant mobility challenges. He had experienced homelessness, lost most of his belongings, and was temporarily staying in a friend's trailer that simply wasn't safe or accessible for him.
He needed assisted living.
The problem was his budget.
I started searching throughout the Salt Lake Valley, while a fellow Oasis Senior Advisor began looking across Northern Utah. Neither of us knew if we were going to find a community that could make Edward’s limited budget work, but we kept making calls.
Between the two of us, Edward’s case management team, and an assisted living community willing to be flexible, the pieces finally started coming together.
Eventually, we realized we were incredibly close.
Edward was only $300 a month short.
That's exactly why Lisa and I created the Golden Gap Foundation.
We've seen seniors who can afford most of what they need, but not quite enough. Sometimes that relatively small difference is all it takes to leave someone without a good option.
We weren't going to let $300 be the reason Edward couldn't have a safe place to live.
The Golden Gap Foundation committed to covering his monthly shortfall for the next 12 months—a total of $3,600.
We didn't have all $3,600 raised yet.
We said yes anyway.
And Monday, Edward Went Home
That's the part I keep coming back to.
Friday, we were trying to figure out if this was even possible.
Monday, Edward had a home.
He now has regular meals, a safe place to shower, help when he needs it, and the security of knowing where he's going to sleep tonight.
No one person made this happen. It happened because people were willing to make another phone call, look at the situation differently, and find a way to say yes.
Now the Golden Gap Foundation needs to fulfill the promise we made.
We're raising $3,600 for Edward, and anything raised beyond that will help us prepare for the next senior who needs a bridge to safety.
Because there will be another call.
And when it comes, I want us to be able to say yes again.
Sometimes the gap really is just $300.
And that's exactly the gap we're here to close.
Help Us Keep Edward Home
Support our “A Safe Home for Edward — and Hope for the Next” campaign and help us keep the promise we made to Edward while preparing for whoever comes next.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-edward-find-his-way-home
