Deo and his family came to Iowa after spending 10 years in a Tanzanian refugee camp. Deo and his wife, Seraphine, have lost two children in their home country's civil war, as well as Deo's parents and four siblings. Once in Iowa, Deo, Seraphine and their four children (Everline, 13; Phinias, 10; Sarah, 9; Enock, 7) lived in Anawim housing but struggled to pay their bills each month.
After the birth of their fifth child in 2010 (Eltoladi), Seraphine began to suffer from a pregnancy-related mental illness and was not able to take care of herself or the children. Deo missed too many days at work to take care of the family and was subsequently fi red. He was unable to pay rent and would have been evicted had his family not been accepted into The Home Connection program.
Once in the program, Deo started working on budgeting and job searching. He has no formal education and English is his second language. He has obtained level five in his ESL classes and has just started computer classes. He worked to get social security benefits for his wife, which he received, and the benefits will start next month. His wife's mental illness has improved, and she is seeing a counselor.
Deo just obtained a part-time job, and is diligently looking for full-time employment. With Hawthorn Hill's help, he is striving to become financially independent so he may help his family and provide a fulfi lling future for his children.
The day A.J. opens his custom auto body shop, one of his and his wife Elena's dreams will have come true. This is only one item on their "to do" list, however. They also want to get out of debt, buy a house and raise their four children.
When all of those goals are met, they will look back and give thanks to Hawthorn Hill's The Home Connection program for taking the once homeless family and giving them a place to live and the stability needed to get their lives back on track. With counseling and encouragement, both A.J. and Elena completed and received their GEDs and found jobs.
A.J. completed a two year auto body repair course at DMACC and does that work on the side while working full time at Big Lots. Elena recently received her cosmetology degree but has put the job search on hold temporarily as she delivered twins in November, 2010, and currently has her hands full.
The family presently rents a four-bedroom house on the south side of Des Moines. A.J. and Elena continue working to eliminate debt and improve their credit scores to make their dream of owning a home a reality.
Christine came into The Home Connection program after completing The House of Mercy inpatient program for addiction. She was fi rst introduced to meth after her father gave her the drug at the age of 12. Christine came to Hawthorn Hill determined to make a better life for her two young kids – Kaleb, 3, and Shantell, 6.
During 20 months in The Home Connection program, Christine has completed major financial and personal milestones. She has paid off most of her past debt, opened savings accounts and has developed budgeting skills.
Christine has earned the designation of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), obtained her CNA Extended and her Sterile Procedure Technician Certifi cate. With that education, she was able to secure her fi rst full-time job with benefi ts at Methodist Hospital. She has been working there for eight months, and once she's been there a year, the hospital will pay for her continued education for a Surgical Technician Certifi cate.
Christine no longer receives government assistance for families with children, and her Department of Human Services (DHS) case was closed. She still attends regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings but has been discharged from her parole offi cer. We are proud to announce that Christine was recently accepted into Habitat for Humanity's homeownership program!
After taking Habitat for Humanity's required homeownership classes and completing her hours helping to build the home, Christine will be a homeowner in 2012!
