Kenia Madrigal and her children became homeless and had to move into their car. But the mom never expected total strangers to turn their lives around. She had no idea how much support she had out there in the world. All it took was for kind-hearted people to hear her story.
Madrigal, a hard-working single mother, was laid off from her job at the beginning of the pandemic. In spite of the safety nets in place for people like her, she was denied public assistance for some reason.
The mother of 4 couldn’t get unemployment or temporary assistance from the state of Indiana for herself or her four children. The system failed her.
When the country grappled with unemployment, Madrigal applied for every job she could. But employment came too late, and she found herself evicted from her home before she could make ends meet. (That’s despite the moratorium on evictions.)
Her children’s father had been growing increasingly distant and left at the height of her financial troubles. At that time, she found herself with no other option than to move her family into their car—all five of them.
“I take the car seats out. I put the seats down, and these go all the way back. So, me and my oldest are here while the youngest are in the back,” she told ABC 13 News in Houston about how they arranged themselves to sleep in the car.
At the time, two of Kenia’s children were school-aged and needed access to their remote classes. But without equipment, internet, or even electricity, she struggled with making sure her kids got what they needed.
At the time, Michael (11), Benjamin (8), Sarah (3), and Sophia (1) were all seeing the worst of what the world had to offer people in need.
Luckily, after the story aired on Eyewitness News, a co-worker at her new job set up a fundraising account and hundreds of people from across the country donated.
The GoFundMe page has since reached more than $61,000. The initial goal was $800.
Madrigal now hopes to do something meaningful with the money for her children’s future.
“My goal was to get enough to get into a place, and now I can actually give them a home,” she said.
Eyewitness News heard from viewers offering homes, apartments and higher paying jobs. Nonprofits like Kids’ Meals Inc. also reached out.
“During this pandemic, we don’t want anyone going hungry,” Executive Director Beth Braniff Harp said.
Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) also contacted Eyewitness News. Both organizations can connect people to the help they need.
“We want to make sure that families, like you focused on, get the help they need as soon as possible. We don’t want them living in their cars,” said Brian Carr, chief advancement officer of Northwest Assistance Ministries.
Madrigal is still wrapping her head around the outpouring of support, she said it was life changing.
“Thank you. Thank you. I’m so grateful. I’m very blessed,” Madrigal said.
References: abc13.com, spotlightstories.co
