At Making Dreams Come True, our Fall fundraiser, we'll be showcasing some of the stories of survival that our staff has made possible. Latoya Hall is one of the clients who we'll be honoring at the event. Here's her story.
Latoya Hall is a single mom trying to provide for herself and her son. Hall was working as a caregiver to her son, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and was being paid by the state to take care of his needs. But she was hospitalized, and as she was unable to care for him while in the hospital, she wasn’t earning any money.
She applied for unemployment to help make ends meet, but she was only receiving $114 every two weeks. This amount was far short of her $1,550 rent, let alone medical expenses for her and her son.
In January 2023, the eviction courts summoned Hall. She applied for rental assistance everywhere she could, but only found red tape as her fears of getting evicted with nowhere for her and her son to go grew. Hall contacted 311, and they referred her to the Spanish Coalition for Housing.
When Latoya first spoke to Mireya Hernandez in Program Support, she was frustrated and saddened that no one would help her. Mireya assured her that she would do everything she could to connect Latoya to the resources she needed. Mireya requested documents which Latoya delivered quickly. They applied for rental assistance through All Chicago and, within weeks, Latoya was awarded $9,000 to stabilize her housing.
When Mireya contacted Latoya, she let out a sigh of relief and cried tears of joy as she finally got the help she needed. Latoya was so overwhelmed with joy that she decided to change her career path and pursue career opportunities where she could give back to the community and help people the way that SCH helped her.
Latoya is one of the thousands of clients who turn to SCH each year when struggling with securing or maintaining stable, afforable housing. Making Dreams Come True is a celebration of our clients' success in 2023. This event takes place at Bottom Lounge on October 12, from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Tickets are going fast, but we still have a few available for purchase.