Published in The New Haven Register on Sunday, February 19, 2012 by Steve Higgins, Special to the Register.

After escaping an abusive relationship, Jackie (not her real name) and her three children ages 13, 9 and 8 ended up in a shelter. Although she qualified for Section 8 financial aid to rent an apartment, she did not have the funds to pay for the security deposit.

New Haven Home Recovery Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates the shelter, helped her pay the security deposit through its Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, and also helped her pay some overdue utility bills related to her previous home so that she and her family could secure a rental apartment and get out of the shelter. Shortly after she moved into the new apartment, she landed a part-time job in transportation and is now thinking about furthering her education.

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