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Homeless Single Mother's Second Chance for SuccessLatasha Seawood, 23, unexpectedly lost her job last year while pregnant. After almost two years of being homeless, she turned to a women’s shelter as a last resort.Related Content
On any given day thousands of homeless people are living on Anchorage streets, half of which are families. That includes single mothers like 23-year-old Latasha Seawood who became homeless while she was pregnant and unexpectedly lost her job.
Seawood and her son Latrey have been living in emergency shelters for almost six months; it’s a lifestyle shift she never expected. “I spent time sleeping in the back of my car,” she said. When she was laid off, she had no money saved up, nowhere to go and wasn’t able to rely on her son’s father for emotional or financial support. “I need to provide a home for him and it’s really hard,” she said. “I feel for every mother who's not able to do that.” After almost two years of not having a permanent home, she finally realized she needed help and turned to Clare House, an emergency women’s homeless shelter run by Catholic Social Services, as a last resort. It’s a situation that CSS sees often—every year, hundreds of women stay at Clare House, which has a capacity of 45—it’s full almost every night. “They’re often one paycheck away from homelessness, especially if it's a female head of household,” said Susan Bomalaski, executive director for CSS. She said that households relying on a single income can fall into homelessness very easily. Seawood has since landed a full-time job and recently received notice from the Cook Inlet Housing Authority that she now has a place to live. |
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jeannie jorgensen said on Saturday, Aug 6 at 8:39 PM
hi everyone, i dont understand why, policemen tell who homeless to leave the area and but where they go , go to where and where stay, i dont belive that, if i were police i could tell them to stay BUT i can tell them keep clean and i cnat knock them out i cant do that,, it wrong tell move out and why why who people not from alaska or other country why come to alaska because of PFD huh ?? and who not from alaska no give pfd to them who not from alaska and but native own alaska not other country ok. i am deaf , i was homeless now i have place but it is O.K. and can you tell me WHY !!!! tell the mayor alaska in juneau about it,,,i want vote for no pfd give to people who not born alaska ok !!!! thank you very much i am try explain but hard for me cause i am deaf.. jeannie
71944334tina said on Sunday, Aug 7 at 4:15 PM
Iwas not born in alaska but have lived here all my life 46years my parents didn't move here for dividents but for the beauty and freedom alaska offered alot of that has changed and there is so many people that beleive that the permanent fund will help them if they move here and then it doesn't people need to think about the prices and have more then the permanent fund when they move here that is alot of the reason for homelessnes not being prepared for the cost of living in alaska.
71973843Marian said on Thursday, Sep 1 at 5:45 PM
After my Safe Harbor Inn incident,APD,AK Cares experience when our rape/sexual assault happened(me and my son)I thought CITC was a place I could turn to for help.I signed a confidential legal verbiage document about a complaint of a staff member of Safe Harbor Inn that mysteriously disappeared after I filed my lawsuite.A case manager who I trusted and her supervisor attended a meeting with me and we all signed the document about the complaint.Through my civil lawsuite I found out that it didn't exist and received a letter with a explanation.I have phone records from ACS and requested cell tower information to prove that I was where I was when I placed a phone call to CITC case manager.I did call and leave a message about what happened.I was told by her that this isn't the first time we have had complaints about Safe Harbor Inn of this type and that they couldn't say much.So after that experience and my letter from CITC arrived and it says to call NO THANKS!Not after your CONDUCT!
73265239let's do a vote for no... said on Monday, Sep 5 at 10:51 PM
I agree, let's do a lobby for an official vote for NO PFD for those that are NOT born in Alaska...it should have been like that from the beginning, that was what it was for and that is what it should have been....With all the education the politicians have in Juneau one would think that this issue would be thought through and thoroughly before making an official policy on divident payouts and to WHOM, what dumbassess....
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