family - The Kitchen

25 Oct 2023

Kierra’s Story: Young mother finds stability at Rare Breed Youth Services

Kierra was 16 when she started coming to Rare Breed Youth Services. Now, the 22-year-old mother reflects on what it was like being a homeless teenager in Springfield. Kierra says when you are homeless, you have to be constantly on the move. Finding a safe place to sleep at night and making sure your things don’t get stolen is a priority. Rare Breed was the main place she could spend her time. At first, Kierra needed all the resources offered. Rare Breed was a safe place Kierra could shower, change clothes, do laundry, and get a meal. It was also…

Katelin’s Story: Affordable Housing Reunites Family After Being Homeless

Katelin (28) is a single mom with three children and a younger brother she cares for. She struggled with homelessness for many years before she found The Kitchen. Katelin recalls times when all five of them stayed in a single cramped hotel room. When things were really bad, her children went to live with their father. “I lost my kids...and I lost myself for a long time. I just now started recovering,” says Katelin. Finding Shelter Not being able to live with her children was hard, and she worked harder to get back on her feet. Katelin was referred to…

A Family in Crisis

A Single father and his 8-year-old twin daughters were homeless before finding The Kitchen, Inc. A Single Father The father is originally from Chicago and moved to Springfield when he was 20. He was living with his girlfriend before she started using drugs. Her drug use forced him to leave their house. When his daughters were 5 years old, their mother dropped them off at Isabel’s House. Isabel’s House contacted him and he was able to gain custody of the girls. He and the girls lived with his mother while he was enrolled in an automotive program at Ozarks Technical…

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