It all started with the B word. Bedrest. Fall of 2012. Margo was put on bedrest for the entirety of her pregnancy when she and Demetrius were expecting their first child. A licensed certified nursing assistant, she was unable to work, yet baby Meko was born happy and healthy in May 2013. Things went back to normal, and the couple adjusted to life as a family of three. Then Margo had a transient ischemic attack—a mini-stroke. Her left side was completely paralyzed.

Demetrius continued to work, take care of Meko, and support Margo while she was hospitalized for several weeks. He began to miss more and more work tending to his family when finally he was let go from his job. Margo was released from the hospital but had been diagnosed with a heart condition; again she was unable to work. Everything unraveled. The family lost its livelihood, savings, apartment, and had piles of medical bills.

Margo, Demetrius and Meko hit rock bottom living in their broken-down car—their residence a white-lined Walmart parking space. Mom. Dad. Baby. Homeless.

Before the baby came, Demetrius didn’t have stable employment, but Margo recalled this turn of events really kicked her family into gear. “Demetrius was trying to be a father,” Margo said. The couple was trying to make it through this all on their own. “Not because [our families] weren’t there, but everyone has their own lives and things they are taking care of. People are kind of reluctant to take in a whole family.”

One night in May 2015 while lying awake in the car, Margo found Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City online from her phone. She saw the agency helped homeless families.

“I submitted my information and didn’t think anyone would respond,” Margo said. “I never qualified for assistance of any kind in the past, so why would this be any different, I thought.” But she got a response. The following day, a case worker from the agency called Margo. Bus fare to get the family to the agency for a meeting was paid. Yet as she rode the bus, Margo thought this wouldn’t come to anything.

“After the meeting, I thought I wouldn’t hear back from [the case worker],” Margo said. But a week later, the case worker called Margo to check-in with her. “She really cared. It didn’t stop when she left the office. She’d call and make sure we were warm and had something to eat.”

Margo said when she sought assistance in the past, she couldn’t get help. “I’ve been told ‘no’ so much. I never qualified for [any help].” But this time, reaching out to Community Action, the response was different. “Every time I doubted, it came through. Every time [I called], she called me back.”

Margo said her family presented their story to the agency. Margo and Demetrius were approved for a program and CAAGKC assisted them with finding a place to live. A place to live. Bus passes for transportation. Transportation to job interviews.

“The case worker, she stayed on us. She made sure we stayed consistent. She went above and beyond. Definitely. They’re amazing.”

When Margo and Demetrius’s lives spiraled down, so did their credit. It was hard to find a place to live. Nearly two months after connecting with CAAGKC, the family finally found a place to live. Working with organizations in the community, the Community Action Agency provided furniture through a local organization called Our Father’s House.

“They made sure we had beds. When we walked into our apartment that night we had everything we needed,” Margo said. With a place to live, her family could focus on rebuilding its life.

CAAGKC helped Margo and Demetrius write resumes and provided resources to help pay for outstanding medical bills. The couple secured temporary, seasonal jobs at ToysRUs. Meko was enrolled in daycare. While navigating temporary employment and getting more solid footing, CAAGKC helped Margo and Demetrius create a budget. They were rebuilding their lives with baby steps.

As time went by, opportunities arose and things fell into place. Margo was asked by a friend if she would take care of her elderly mother as a private nurse. Ford Motor Company offered Demetrius a job. Margo and Demetrius now both had full-time jobs. Their son was in daycare. They had a budget. Their credit report was improving. They opened a bank account.

“[The case worker] wasn’t as hands on then,” Margo said. “We were more stable.”

By August 2016, Margo and Demetrius were still employed full-time, their son was in preschool, and all three were in their very own home. Margo and Demetrius were homeowners.

Although Meko was an infant and toddler during this time, Margo recalls the impact it had on her son.

“He remembers the time when we were bouncing around,” Margo said. Meko was two years old when the family was homeless. “He really values our home. He’s very proud of it. He’s always telling people ‘our new home.’ ‘Mommy, I really love our new home. I’m glad we live here.’ He runs around like he owns the place. We have a big backyard for him, and he has a Power Wheel his dad had to get him.” Meko’s motorized toy car is an F150. “As a Ford employee, that was the first thing he got Meko when he worked there.”

As of January 2018, Demetrius has been accepted to a welding program at Longview Community College where he will be going to school part-time while continuing to work full-time at Ford. “It’s another opportunity for him. He has a guaranteed job.” Margo continues to work as a private duty nurse. Meko is in preschool and will turn 5 in May.

“I feel like I have independence and peace, a better understanding of my finances. I now understand I need to take care of this before that,” Margo said reflecting on the help Community Action gave to her family. “As cheesy as it sounds, it’s all upward from here.”

“I feel like at this point there’s nothing that we can’t make it through. There was a time when we didn’t have anything to offer each other. The struggles we went through, that alone will make me never want to be with anyone else.” That’s hope and a changed life.

This story was originally published in Missouri Community Action Network’s 2017 Annual Report. To learn more about the difference Community Action makes, download Missouri CAN’s 2017 Annual Report here.