A single mother of five, Amy was struggling to support her family after losing a job and going through depression. When she applied for food assistance, a mandatory blood test revealed that her two year-old son, was suffering lead poisoning.
Amy had to find another place to live and, two days later, her son had to be hospitalized. As Amy tried to comfort her son in the hospital and care for her other children at home, she searched frantically for a place to live.
“Anything I could afford had lead in it. Between a Friday and a Monday I found out that the Madge Phillips Center had room for me and my children.”
“I set goals of obtaining a lead-safe home, meeting with a counselor at the Abbe Center and getting a job,” says Amy.
That spring, Amy moved into a new apartment, and began a job at a hotel where she continues to work. She also received a financial settlement from a prior landlord which has helped her purchase a home.