EDITOR’s NOTE: – This is another in a series of articles on the Peninsula Home Fund. Use the HOME FUND link at left to generate a coupon to accompany your donation — thanks!
CHIMACUM — Today she’s working and saving money to buy a house.
She’s even taking a class to learn how to do everyday repairs so she’ll be able to take good care of a new home.
But it wasn’t too long ago that Natishia Abbott needed a “hand-up, not a handout” to get through an emergency.
The house where she was living was sold — and she had only a month to find a new place for her and her young daughter to live.
“It costs a lot to move — you have the cost of actually moving, then deposits and first and last months’ rent — and I had very little time to save,” she recalled.
“I hate to ask for help, but I did not have all of the $1,750 it was going to cost to move.”
Abbott, 22, and 2-year-old Jaden turned to OlyCAP — Olympic Community Action Programs.
Abbott was told $150 from the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund could be used to help pay a portion of the needed deposits.
Back to self-sufficiency
The PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund is a safety net for local people like Abbott and Jaden when they face emergency situations — and can’t find help elsewhere.
Every penny goes — without any deductions for administration or other costs — for hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for the low income, needed prescription drugs, dental work, safe, drug-free temporary housing, eyeglasses — the list goes on and on.
In addition, all instances of help are designed to help get an individual or family back on the path to self-sufficiency.
“OlyCAP helped a lot,” Abbott said. “Without their help and the Home Fund, I would have been without a home.”
Abbott also received help from Jefferson County’s housing authority.
“When something like that happens, it is nice to know there is help out there,” she said.
Abbott, who has lived in the Chimacum area for about 15 years, said the people who donate to the Peninsula Home Fund should know how much people appreciate the safety net it provides.
“If people didn’t donate, a lot of families would struggle,” she said.
“Anything people can donate helps others so much.
“Even if I would have used my entire paycheck, it would not have been enough to pay for the move — and I had other bills.
“So, thank you — it is great people can donate to help those in need.”
Abbott now works for her mother, Judy Roy, who started Olympic Peninsula Secretarial Services in Port Ludlow a few months ago.
“I work with my mom now, and it has been great, but she asked me to help,” Abbott said.
“I am very independent, and do not like to ask anyone, even my mom, for help.”
IDA program
Abbott is saving money for a down payment on a home through the IDA (Individual Development Accounts) program run by OlyCAP.
The national program helps low-income American families buy their first home, pay for post-secondary education, or start a small business.
People in the program open a savings account and pledge to save $2,000. The state matches the dollars.
The program allows people to save up to $10,000 to purchase a home or return to school.
“The program is a wonderful opportunity,” Abbott said. “I can’t wait to own my own home.”
Those saving to purchase a home also attend classes to learn about home ownership, and how to do home repairs.
“Several families have purchased homes through the program — and for them it is a dream come true,” said Marcia McEvoy, client service specialist for OlyCAP.
“We have had families who are on welfare and then three years later own their own home — it is a great program.”
Jefferson and Clallam
Peninsula Home Fund is seeking contributions for its annual holiday-season fund-raising campaign.
Now in its 15th year, the fund is supported entirely by Jefferson and Clallam residents.
It is managed for the Peninsula Daily News by OlyCAP, the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula.
As they did with Abbott, Home Fund case managers work with each individual or family to develop a plan to become financially stable — and avoid a recurrence of the emergency that prompted aid from the fund.
* In the past 12 months, the fund has assisted more than 750 households with a “hand-up, not a handout.”
* All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
* No money is diverted for administration or other overhead. All costs are absorbed by the PDN and OlyCAP.
* Donors’ personal information is kept confidential.
The PDN does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone, or make any other use of it.
* Individuals, couples, businesses and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2002 — $67,048.
All of that money is expected to be spent by Dec. 31.
* Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contribution.
* To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
* If you have any questions about the fund, contact John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500.
The PDN is publishing stories every Wednesday and Sunday through Dec. 30 on how the Peninsula Home Fund operates.
How to donate
A gift of any size is welcome.
Peninsula Home Fund never has been a campaign of heavy hitters.
If you can contribute only a few dollars, please don’t hesitate because you think it won’t make a difference.
Every gift makes a difference, regardless of its size.