Once-Homeless Family Thankful

When Mona Hill ws in her seventh month of pregnancy last July, she felt sure she would miscarry. Living in a tent in Orange County’s Featherly Park and sleeping on the cold ground with her family made it difficult to follow a doctor’s prenatal advice.

But three months later, the family, including the newest member, will celebrate Thanksgiving in its new, fully furnished apartment.

“We certainly have a lot to be thankful for,” said Hill, 24, as she cradled 2-month-old David. “We feel like we finally have the fresh start we need.”

Through the help of Project Home Again, sponsored by World Vision, an international Christian relief agency, Hill, her husband and their 4-year-old son were able to move out of the park shortly before the baby’s birth.

The program, which has coordinators in 35 cities, tries to match families with local churches.

“It’s an idea that we have that if every church took in two homeless families, there wouldn’t be any homeless families,” said Ellie Cardoff, one of the program’s local coordinators. “The church has always been a source of emotional guidance; this takes it a step further.”

When a home is found, the church pays first and last month’s rent. A team of volunteers from the church also helps the family move in and provides furniture, food, clothing and support.

“We try to encourage self-reliance and self-esteem,” Cardoff said. “We take it a day at a time, but we want them to be able to help themselves.”

Through Project Home Again, Mona was able to get prenatal care before the baby was born. However, the baby was a month premature and has health problems, including spinal meningitis.

“They said that from all the stress of being homeless that I just didn’t get enough rest,” Hill said. “There was a time when I didn’t think he’d get here at all, but he is here, and I know he is going to get better.”

The Hills had been living in parks, motels and their car since Gary Hill lost his job at a local department store. While living in the park, he was able to work as a plumbing assistant for a few months. But when his car broke down, he couldn’t get to work.

“I had a car, but it was an older one, and you have to keep those up more,” he said. “Living outside, you have to buy groceries every day so they won’t spoil, and we couldn’t do that and keep up the car.”

The Orange Park Free Church in Orange held carwashes and bake sales to raise the first and last months’ rent for the family. Next month, the Hills are on their own. Gary Hill, 26, now is listed with an employment agency and looking for work to pay the $630-a-month rent for the family’s new apartment in Orange, where it will enjoy turkey dinner today.

“I think the good thing about this is that Gary Jr. now has somewhere to put his toys,” Mona Hall said. “He is only 4 years old, but he would say he didn’t want other kids to know he had no home. Even a child understands what homelessness is about.”

So far, the program has placed more than 200 families in homes nationwide and hopes to place more than 500 by 1990.

“We want to get to the point where this isn’t news anymore, where homelessness is a thing of the past,” Cardoff said. “It has to stop.”