November, 2023
Dear Friends,
Blessings! The falling leaves, dropping temperatures and decreasing daylight hours, remind us the changes of the season are truly upon us. As you reflect, please remember change is constant and often intense for our Guests here at Lazarus House Ministries.
The economic environment we have faced in the last year has also changed, and unfortunately, not for the better. As I write to you today, reports indicate the number of Americans living in poverty has gone up for the first time in years. Rising prices for the basic necessities of food, gas, and housing affect us all, but these changes are particularly hard on our Guests and the critical services they have come to rely on when they arrive at our door.
Earlier this year, a family was facing eviction from their apartment because the landlord had raised the rent to an insurmountable level. The mom was pregnant and incredibly stressed, and with a two year old, she and her husband were already holding down multiple jobs just to pay rent. Facing this impossible increase, they came to Lazarus House seeking help. Capernaum Place, our transitional housing facility, is where they have called home now for almost a year. The mom had a dream of becoming a police officer. The stability and foundation she and her family found here enabled her to undertake and pass an exam to go into law enforcement on her first try! She is hoping to start at the police academy soon. A new beginning for this family.
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