Helping Cassie

It was after 6 PM on a Thursday that Volunteer Advocates, Ardis and David, met with Cassie, her 6 month old infant, and Cassie's aunt at a local fast food restaurant. During the visit, Cassie described the journey which led her to call the Society of St Vincent de Paul Hotline for help. It all began in September 2019.

Cassie and her newborn baby fled to the Dallas area to escape domestic abuse. They were homeless and had little money. Cassie's aunt and uncle who live in the area support her emotionally and socially; but, are limited in their ability to provide financial assistance and/or shelter. Shelters were full.

Cassie and her baby moved from one transitional housing location to another. Thankfully, however, advocates at these locations worked to establish a little stability to Cassie's and her baby's lives by helping her enroll in Medicaid, federally assisted childcare, WIC, food stamps, and to obtain a full time job in Frisco.

Cassie was employed for one week in the service industry. She missed 3 days of work (and 3 days of pay) due to both baby and mom becoming sick. When Ardis and David met with Cassie, she had recovered and was back to work. But, her baby was not feeding well and was at risk of becoming dehydrated. Cassie was desperate to find a place to live because her stay with a friend had extended beyond the 7 day allowable for visits. Cassie needed to vacate the premises by 4:30 AM on the following morning.

Cassie was alerted to the dehydration risk and was encouraged to seek medical care if the baby's condition did not improve. Cassie was referred to area service organizations for medical care, food, clothing, and transitional housing. To ensure that mom and baby had a safe place to stay and recover while longer term arrangements were made, Ardis and David obtained SVDP members' approval to pay the lodging at a local hotel for 5 nights and worked with another service organization that paid for 2 more nights.