John and Jennifer*, are a loving couple, they are both hard working,  in their jobs and in their behavioral health treatment.  But before they came to Harbor Health Services, Inc. (HHSI) in 1995, John and Jennifer had a few run-ins with the law and had practically destroyed their credit.  Neither of these things really mattered until a fateful day in October when they realized they were facing homelessness. The apartment they'd been living in for the last 10 years was pending sale and although they were working hard toward recovery, their checkered past was haunting them - they could't find a landlord who would rent to them.

John and Jennifer had a number of things working against them when they tried to find new housing: their credit rating was poor, they both had criminal histories, and they were just scraping by on minimum wage and state benefits.

 John and Jennifer had a number of things working against them when they tried to find new housing: their credit rating was poor, they both had criminal histories, and they were just scraping by on minimum wage and state benefits. They had no chance of saving up for a security deposit, and certainly no hope of saving that, as well as the first and last month’s rent that were required by local landlords. 
 
John and Jennifer met with the HHSI housing coordinator, but even with all of her contacts and sympathetic landlords, she could not find housing for them without a security deposit, first and last month’s rent. HHSI case managers and the housing coordinator explored every option they could think of to help the couple find the funds they needed, but they all came up empty. On December 1, John and Jennifer were officially homeless.
 
The HHSI housing coordinator continued working with the couple, hoping that somehow she could find them somewhere to live, but their future was looking pretty bleak. John and Jennifer struggled, sleeping in shelters, cars, churches, and occasionally a motel when funds were available.  Then on January 29 HHSI received news that its Neighbor to Neighbor LifeLine Fund application had been approved, and that funds would be available within the week to help house homeless clients. The HHSI housing coordinator immediately began phoning landlords and within five days John and Jennifer were moving into their new home in East Haven. N2N LifeLine Funds paid for their security deposit, first and last month’s rent. Now John and Jennifer are no longer living on the streets, they are in safe, permanent, and affordable housing, all thanks to N2N donors.
 
*Names have been changed to protect the clients’ identities.