Rochester, MN, Rapid Rehousing Program Celebrates a Family Success Story
In the Fall of 2023, *Elizabeth, a mother of five who was expecting her sixth child, packed up her children and drove to Rochester, MN. Circumstances had resulted in their needing a new start, and Elizabeth remembered Rochester as a place she had felt safe when she lived here earlier in her life. She wanted her children to grow up with that same sense of safety and community.
The family drove from Illinois with only the personal belongings they could fit in their car. The Salvation Army was their first stop when they arrived in Rochester.
There, Elizabeth met Allison Carpenter, who coordinates The Salvation Army’s Rapid Rehousing program in Rochester – a program that helps homeless families get into housing quickly, and then subsidizes their rent for a period of up to two years.
“When Elizabeth came to us, she originally asked for shelter in general,” Allison said. “What she didn’t know at the time was that we also have our Rapid Rehousing program."
Working with The Salvation Army, Elizabeth and her family were able to move into a three-bedroom apartment days before Thanksgiving. Elizabeth gave birth to her sixth child, a baby girl, one week after the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Elizabeth was so grateful to be spending the holiday season with her family – safe and secure in their own home,” said Allison.
Because the family was a part of the Rapid Rehousing program, Elizabeth was able to take a maternity leave from work knowing that their rent would be paid and her family would be housed while she recovered. When she went back to work, she began meeting regularly with Allison to set goals for herself and her family.
Elizabeth continues to meet with Allison once a month to discuss her ongoing needs, challenges, successes, and dreams. Allison, in turn, works to connect Elizabeth and the other families in the Rapid Rehousing program to additional resources in the community that can help them to meet the goals they set for themselves.
Over the next year, as Elizabeth and her family become more and more independent, the amount of rental subsidy she receives will gradually decrease until they are financially independent and able to remain in their home without the financial support of The Salvation Army.
Elizabeth is one of many families who have recovered from homelessness thanks to their resilience, their willingness to work hard, their faith in their own capabilities, and a little bit of help from The Salvation Army.
“This woman is Superwoman,” Allison said. “She works early in the morning to ensure that she gets to spend as much time as possible with her children when they’re not in school. She took an incredible leap of faith coming here because she knew that she could give her kids a better life. I’m so grateful that our program was here to help them land on their feet.”
To submit a prayer request in support of Elizabeth and her family, or to learn more about The Salvation Army’s housing assistance programs in Rochester, MN, please visit www.rochestersa.org.
*Please note that we have changed the name of the mother in this story in order to respect her privacy, and to allow her to keep her anonymity. The events depicted in this story are all true events.