The following is an account of Claudine, a participant at Metro CareRing in Denver, Colorado.
Claudine recently went through a divorce. Her husband had been the primary breadwinner in the household, and after the divorce Claudine was “dead broke,” as she described it. She was living with family in a very cramped house. She tried to apply for social services and subsidized housing to help her and her two kids get back on their feet, but she did not have the proper documentation for her children. She and her ex-husband had lost the kids’ birth certificates. Since they were both born in California, she did not know how to get new ones issued and did not have the money to pay for the expense of securing out-of-state documentation.
Claudine heard about Metro CareRing from a friend and decided to give the organization a call. Metro CareRing’s ID Specialist helped her fill out the paperwork and gather the supporting documentation, and the organization paid for the birth certificates. The application was approved and the documents were sent. Once the birth certificates arrived, Claudine was able to apply for benefits and new housing for her and her kids. While she was waiting for the birth certificates, she received food from Metro CareRing to supplement her family’s food budget. She said that Metro CareRing has helped her a lot, especially when she felt so lost and did not know who to turn to. Now she wants to give back. “Once I really get back on my feet, I’m going to come volunteer at Metro CareRing,” she said.