A New Baby and No Place to Go

            What would you do if you were bringing home your new baby from the hospital but didn’t have a home to bring her to?

            For many parents they’ve never had to struggle with that thought. Instead, for the past nine-months they have been busy picking out teeny-tiny clothes, sorting through baby names, and setting up the new nursery.

            But for a family in Northern Virginia recently, what should have been one of the most exciting times in their lives, turned into one of the scariest.

            Instead of picking out teeny-tiny clothes they were busy trying to pack their whole lives into suitcases; forced to move from their home in Florida after they were evicted because they were no longer able to pay their rent. Instead of sorting through baby names they were sorting through family names and connections; trying to find who could take an adult man and his pregnant wife into their home. And instead of setting up the new nursery they tried to set up a new life; a temporary home with relatives in Leesburg, Virginia and days full of job searching. 

            But when the baby was delivered the unimaginable happened.  Landlord codes forced the couple out of their family’s home. And instead of bringing the baby home to a new nursery or a family home, the couple found themselves standing on the front stoop of Volunteers of America Chesapeake’s Loudon Emergency Shelter; a four-day-old baby girl in their arms.

            The choice the family made to go to the shelter made all the difference in the world. Not only were they immediately taken in and cared for, but they are being provided with services to help them find work and a more permanent home. Most importantly, thanks to Volunteers of America Chesapeake, the family found hope. And that is something that no matter what happens can’t be taken away.