Laquanda was four months pregnant with her first child when she and her boyfriend broke up. At the time, she was living with the boyfriend’s mother and was asked to leave. She was unemployed and did not have family or friends to turn to for help. She began wandering the streets late last winter. Eventually, she began sleeping at the Maywood Police Department. Research estimates one-in-five women who are experiencing homelessness are pregnant at any given time, almost twice the rate of the general population.
Laquanda was connected to Housing Forward’s family support specialists, who focus on the unique needs of families with minor children. They immediately began working with Laquanda, focusing first on housing. The specialist connected Laquanda to an apartment in Oak Park and financial support for rent assistance and a security deposit through the Village of Oak Park’s flexible housing pool of families and other sources.
She was also linked to a parenting program that will provide skill-building and support services throughout her daughter’s first three years. Housing Forward’s community health nurse began providing Laquanda with informational and physical support during pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period.
Housing Forward
Housing Forward is passionately focused on one vision – ending homelessness.
Housing Forward is a recognized leader in suburban Cook County offering a coordinated response for people experiencing a housing crisis to quickly resolve their situation. We believe in bold, comprehensive approaches to prevent homelessness whenever possible, respond to people in housing crises, and create stability through permanent housing for the most vulnerable members of our community. Each year we assist more than 2,000 individuals and families with comprehensive, wrap-around support from the onset of a financial or housing crisis to its resolution.
To learn more, donate, or to get involved, visit housingforward.org, email development@housingforward.org, or call 708.338.1724
