“It wasn’t supposed to happen to us,” said Lori Washington, as she thinks about how her family lost their home in Maricopa.
Lori spent over 13 years working as a hair stylist when she suffered an aneurysm at work. Suddenly fighting for her life and needing open heart surgery, she could no longer work. Her husband’s health also began to decline. With medical bills piling up and no steady income, their financial troubles mounted quickly.
By September of 2021, the family found themselves without a home and searching for help. Through the City of Chandler, they found temporary relief and then Lori was eventually connected to Save the Family. That’s when things began to turn around.
“Without Save the Family, I honestly don’t know where we’d be,” said Lori.
Lori’s family graduated from the program two years ago but she still interacts with the staff regularly – keeping in touch with her case workers on maintaining her budget and finances. “I can still call them if something comes up. Just knowing they’re there, takes the stress out of it.”
Today, Lori, her husband, and their 16-year-old son live in their own apartment. “It’s ours, we’re paying the rent ourselves and can afford everything we need.”
When she talks about Save the Family, she calls it an extended family, deeply personal and different from other nonprofits. She says they provided the support her family needed in the moment, along with the resources to regain their independence and stability long-term. “I’ve met a lot of people in the program that didn’t think homelessness could happen to them. But it can and with Save the Family, they give you the tools to be successful so that you don’t find yourself in the same situation again.”
That care and attention has stayed with Lori. She remembers the first holiday her family received help through Save the Family’s Adopt-a-Family program.
“I cried,” she admits. “I walked in the house, saw the gifts, and I just cried. Not just that there were gifts under the tree but that they were thoughtful. My son loves anime— and one of the donors learned that from our wishlist and left him a note about it. It touched my heart. It’s those little things that make it so special.”
And in the beginning it was the little things that mattered most. “Save the Family provided meals for me when I wasn’t sure how we were going to eat. They provided encouragement to see the future when I couldn’t. When you’re a mom, that hits you differently. You’re supposed to have it all figured out—but sometimes you just can’t.”
As she reflects on her journey, Lori says she’s grateful to share her story. “I’m glad I’m able to talk about it. People don’t realize it can happen to you in the blink of an eye. You never know what somebody’s going through. Save the Family understands that. They saved me.”
Help a family when their life changes in the blink of an eye.
A sudden crisis, like the one Lori experienced, can happen to anyone. But you can be the support system that catches a family before they fall. Your gift provides the meals, safety, and encouragement a family needs to find their way back home.