Car Accident Changes the Lives of Local Couple
James and Melissa had their car packed up and were ready to move south, leaving their home in New Haven when a devastating hit and run car accident changed the trajectory of their lives.
Besides losing all of their possessions that were packed in their car at the time of the accident, James broke his femur. Over the next three years, his medical issues dominated their lives as he had a dozen surgeries and multiple blood infections. Left wheelchair bound and unable to work, James and Melissa lost their housing a year after the accident.
Together as a couple since they were twelve years old, they now found themselves without a place to live or a vehicle, staying at hotels and doing odd jobs to survive. Meanwhile James was trying to recover from each surgery and learning to walk again.
James and Melissa were homeless and used the Center's No Freeze emergency shelter on and off for three years. At one point, James was discharged from hospital and went directly to our No Freeze shelter because he had nowhere else to go.
Beth-El's emergency shelter services helped them during times when they didn't have basic needs like a place to sleep. Determined to get back on their feet themselves, they didn't enroll in the Center's case management services until 2021.
Beth El Center's case managers then helped to set them on the path to stability. From replacing their ID's that were lost in the accident to searching for housing, James and Melissa began rebuilding their lives.
"We were so lucky we had the Beth-El center to help us get back on our feet. They gave us the foundation we needed to rebuild," according to James.
Beth-El Centers case managers acted as a resource, taught them the right questions to ask and how advocate for themselves. They worked along-side them every step of the way to help them get housing vouchers and find an apartment.
According to Jenn Paradis, Beth-El Center Executive Director, "James and Melissa's story is one of strength and love. They are a powerful couple who overcame many health issues, along with homelessness and hunger, together. They embody the phrase 'never give up' and remind us that overcoming homelessness is incredibly difficult but with the support of a community, all things are possible."
Beth –El was there for this couple through their ups and downs of finding their health and their housing. Although their path to stability was fraught with complicated problems, their love sustained them and gave them the strength to never give up. Now they have an apartment of their own.
According to James, "First we learned how to survive together and now we get to learn how to live life together."
