Renewal Story: Isaac

Single dads can have it tough. Single dads experiencing homelessness have it even tougher. Ask Isaac. For months, he and his two children, now six and five, had been staying with one relative and friend after another while Isaac looked for work. The family ended up in a shelter for 30 weeks with no privacy and no real safety or resources for Isaac’s children until someone told him about Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.

 Within just a few weeks Isaac saw an upturn in his family’s prospects. “First, UGM-TC gave me a place to stay with our own room and private space. They helped me get my daughter in school with a letter of residency and helped with a lot of tutoring.”

Isaac began taking classes in parenting, attending chapel and Alpha and participating in the Jump Start Program. “They’re getting my resume together and helping me look for a job,” he tells us. Isaac is also working on renewing his certification as an environmental specialist. “UGM-TC gives single dads opportunities to get on their feet.”

The children have also blossomed in the short time they’ve been at UGM-TC, becoming involved in the Good News Club bible study, going to the park every day and even attending a superhero birthday party where they were given new toys.

“ UGM-TC helps a lot,” Isaac says. “They help to keep you on the straight path with their resources, the case managers and everything to better yourself. They’re uplifting. They don’t ever put you down.”

Isaac looks forward to the day when he can support his children in a place of their own… and that day may not be far off. “UGM-TC already helped me with the housing, so I’m on the verge of that,” he says. Even after he has a job and his own home, Isaac will always remember UGM-TC with gratitude. “It’s a nice place to get yourself together. It’s a nice environment and a very safe place if you have children.”

UPDATE: Isaac has successfully graduated the UGM-TC program. After accepting a new job, he and his two children moved into a home of their own. Congratulations Isaac!