Our Stories Matter: Catherine

Catherine is a mother of 8 children — 4 are adults, and the others are ages 15, 14, 10, and 9. 

She and her family come from Humboldt, Texas where they had a happy life and home. She used to have a stable job at The Cheesecake Factory, but she ended up in the hospital when she had a stroke.

This changed everything for her and her family. 

Catherine was a widow. Her first husband passed away suddenly, and she needed to find the money for his funeral. But because she was in the hospital, the bills were mounting up and she was not sure what to do. 

Once she left the hospital, she found a job at a Landscaping company, but it did not last long. Her health struggles were hard, and she was forced to quit. 

During this time, Catherine could also not keep up with her rent. She had asked for assistance from the landlord, stating that because she could not work, she could have some extension on her rent… but sadly they were not patient. The landlord and her team cleaned out Catherine’s apartment and tossed everything on the street. By forcibly evicting her, it caused tremendous stress. 

During this time, Catherine was in and out of the hospital. They changed the locks, so she could not get back in. Catherine filed a case with an attorney to get some of her property back, but despite the judge ruling in her favor, the whole process was complicated. 

By the time 2020 came to an end, she was running out of money for bills, food, and necessities. 

In 2022, Catherine managed to find a job, but she was in a car accident on the way to work. Once again, she was in the hospital, needed Physical Therapy, and took more time off work. 

Once she got better, she moved back home to Humboldt to stay with her parents. Her father was sick, and she wanted to help her mother care for him. 

Her mother was in ill health and needed the extra pair of hands. Once her father passed away, her mother wrote the family home off to Catherine’s sister. This made Catherine feel very sad, as she and her four children had no home. She had hoped her mother would give her the house. 

In the next few months, a lady named Michelle from Bedford, TX, who ran a commercial cleaning business, got in touch with Catherine and offered her a job. Catherine was excited about moving to a new town and starting over. 

So by the end of August 2022, Catherine and her four children moved to Denton, and she began to work again. 

She did not have enough money to pay rent for an apartment. So, they found a room at the Fairfield Inn near the University, and she managed to pay rent there for a while. Once the money ran out, the family found themselves sleeping outside the hotel. They often stayed outside the Walmart near the University or other places.

Finding a place to sleep was very hard. 

They managed to find a room in the Salvation Army, but because her son was 14, he was asked to sleep in the Men’s shelter. This did not sit well with Catherine, so they left the Salvation Army. 

The Commercial cleaning job was good but meant working late at night. Because she worked from 11 pm - 5 am, she was not able to leave the children in the hotel. She was forced to take them with her. 

During this season, she was offered a job with Bright Star Home Health, which was in line with her education, and she was so excited. Unfortunately, her car needed a lot of repairs, and since she did not have the money to fix it, she could not take the job. A Home Health job required her to have a car. 

So she stuck it out with the commercial cleaning job despite the late hours. She moved into Studio 6 from Fairfield Inn and borrowed money from her boss to take showers or buy food. 

But she enrolled her children in Middle School, and she went looking for work when they were at school. 

Strangers on the Nextdoor App helped her with groceries and food. Every check that came in went directly for rent. When the money ran out, they slept on the street; when the money came in, they could pay for a week at the hotel. 

It was complicated and very, very challenging. They stayed outside the Courtyard Marriott for a long time. 

Then one day, she met Scott from Giving Grace. Catherine knew a doctor named Dr. Clark, and he introduced her to Scott. Scott came up to the Courtyard Marriott and heard her story. Giving Grace then went on to help with resources and paid for her to stay at the hotel for a week. 

And finally, they arranged for her to have some form of permanent housing at the Deluxe Inn. 

In the last few months, Catherine has felt a little better. Giving Grace has been very helpful, and she feels like she has a partner. She is still trying to cope and manage things but feels optimistic. 

She takes her son to MHMR Therapy weekly because he has learning disabilities. This creates stress with the other children, but he is improving. As she still does not have a car, she has to depend on rides and Go Zones to get a ride to the Therapy. This makes life challenging, but she still wants to do right by her children. 

Every evening she works cleaning 4-5 branches of Texas Roadhouse Restaurants and comes home around 6 am. She works seven days a week. 

Her goal is to save money to fix her car and get housing. 

Catherine says Giving Grace has been a source of great help. Getting them into the Deluxe Inn with rent money has taken some load off her shoulder. 

Scott is helping her with her traffic tickets at Harris County. Because she could not pay for her traffic tickets, her License was suspended. So until she can find the money, she cannot drive, so Scott is helping her with the process. 

Catherine volunteers with Katia and Michelle at Giving Grace. She often shops at Sam’s Club and shares the food with other program members. Even though she is struggling, she loves to give back and help others. 

She helps her older neighbor purchase her diabetes medication and shares whatever little income she has. 

Somedays, Catherine finds it hard to cope; she cries and struggles, but going to Therapy helps her get centered again. The Living situation is tricky; raising four children is hard, but she keeps working. She has her eye on the goal of housing and transportation and wants to achieve that. 

Just last week, her food stamps were cut off, and she felt defeated but decided to take it in stride. She is thankful for Giving Grace and all the many ways they help her. They surprised her children with so many goodies for last Christmas. 

Catherine continues to work hard and focus on a better future. 

Written by E. Sherene Joseph