The definition of family is a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each other in their respective social positions, usually those of spouses, parents, children, and siblings. The blended family of Vernice and Arbon fits the definition of family wonderfully. There is an abundant amount of love and kindness within their family, and HOME, Inc. is so grateful to be able to be a small part of their story.
The family moved to Des Moines in late 2016 from St. Louis, MO in an attempt to find a safer city to raise their children. They first came into the Hope for Stable Families program because Arbon lost his job due to his contract ending at his temporary job. At the time, Vernice was only working a part time job. They struggled with finding work, due to one of them needing to be home with their newborn baby and 3 year old daughter. Luckily, Arbon was able to find a full time permanent job to support their family. Vernice continued to work the opposite shift of Arbon to make ends meet.
They continue to work with their case manager on budgeting since Arbon gets a lot of money taken out for child support. Their biggest financial struggle currently is making too much money for food stamps and child care assistance, but not enough to always make ends meet.
Vernice and Arbon strive to want to be self-sufficient and be able to pay for everything on their own. Vernice has created the long term goal of going back to school. Their goal as a family is to eventually own a home.
We are so excited to follow the journey of Vernice and Arbon and their family. Their goal of owning a home are attainable, and we can’t wait until they come back to HOME, Inc. for our homebuyer education course and counseling services!