Kaitlyn's Story, Continued

Denver was a new start, but Kaitlyn and her kids found themselves in a worse environment than before. The cost of living was high so she found herself mired in a Catch 22 that would not allow her to keep her head above water. She couldn't afford childcare so she was unable to secure a job. And she was well-trained as a CNA, the frustration mounted. Her lack of a job meant she was unable to pay for childcare... and so the vicious cycle spiraled out of control.

There is a despondency that wrestles hope from the most optimistic of people. It says there is no feasible solution or reason to think things will ever get better. A person begins second-guessing every decision they made while their present situation taunts them. Numbness saturates the soul and there is a tendency to sink into a catatonic state that renders one useless. Nothing was working out and Kaitlyn needed to take action quickly or they would be living on the street.

The homeless shelters in Denver were unable to offer her the chance she needed to catch her breath and collect her thoughts so she could move forward. There were policies in place that required people to have Colorado identification, and no out of state IDs were accepted. This process could take weeks and Kaitlyn needed a place to live immediately. The vicious cycle was now morphing into a new entity and combating her at every stage. She began racking her brain for a solution.

It's interesting how our memory works and how we make comparisons no matter how hard we try not to. Everywhere she went, Kaitlyn was haunted by the past and how her present began to deteriorate with each new environment. What started with a simple move to a new place had devolved into a scenario she never imagined. No one ever sets out to be homeless; it's not a goal or aspiration and once it becomes a reality it is often too late to combat it. All a person can do is remember how life used to be.

Denver was offering no solutions and she Kaitlyn was now faced with limited prospects. Unable to secure temporary housing at a shelter for her and her two kids, she didn't have the luxury of choice. Something had to be done or she would begin descending down a slope many people never recover from. Every time she searched her children's eyes she felt the pangs of responsibility she was charged with to give them the best life possible. And since this was not going to occur in Colorado, she understood it was time for a move. Again.

(To be continued)