Homeless at Age Two, Toddler Finds Home at ICNA Relief’s Transitional Home

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Homeless at Age Two, Toddler Finds Home at ICNA Relief’s Transitional Home

When we first heard Aisha’s story, we were shocked and shaken that someone so young had already endured so much. At 18, she was a widow with a two-year-old son. She was homeless with nowhere to go. We were deeply concerned she’d be in potential danger or end up on the streets. None of us wanted that for Aisha or her two-year-old.

Aisha is a US citizen; her parents live in a different country. With only her GED, she only qualified for minimum wage jobs. She could neither afford to leave her son unattended nor could she afford daycare.

With no relatives in the US, she had difficulty finding a place to stay for the long term. She reached out to a friend in New York who took her in for a year-and-a-half. Despite the generous offer, it had to come to an end.

Aisha’s in-laws who lived overseas had not met her or their grandson in person but wanted to provide them with stability. They purchased a house for her that happened to be near our office. They then reached out to ICNA Relief for help.

When ICNA Relief connected with Aisha, we found the house her in-laws had bought her needed lots of repairs. There were torn floors, damaged drywall, broken windows, a rodent infestation, water damage, and the house smell of mold. The appliances were not useable either. “Even though they bought it for her, it was a big project that would take a while to become habitable,” says Transitional House Case Manager Syeda Mohideen. “It was impossible to live there.”

Thanks to our generous donors, we have Rahma House, our transitional home for single moms and kids. Fortunately, it had a bed available. We immediately moved young Aisha and her toddler into our transitional home. We made sure she had access to the ICNA Relief’s food pantry. We also helped her get a contractor for repairs that her in-laws financed. ICNA Relief dedicated weeks to what was almost a complete rebuild. It was ready to live in within a few months. With neither a license nor a car, Aisha turned to ICNA Relief for help transporting her meager belongings into her new house.

While her in-laws supported her as best as they could financially, ICNA Relief helped her access state-funded resources, such as food stamps and Medicaid.

We’ve stayed in contact with her family overseas to help facilitate anything she needs. Aisha is now taking classes online and plans to further her education to provide for herself and her son.

These are cases we see at ICNA Relief regularly. Women with little community or family relations for whom we strive to make things easier. We want to thank our community for helping Aisha and her son during their most trying time. You are an integral part of the work we do in alleviating the burdens of others. May Allah (SWT) bless you all for helping those you’ve never met. You are changing hundreds of lives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]