Approved! A Christmas Miracle

I met with Sarah and Clyve (not their real names), over a month ago. They had approached staff to discuss their current situation. They were living in an apartment and were served with an eviction notice. They were behind in rent money over a dispute with the landlord. Their apartment was over run with bed bugs, and so they had to use their money on new clothes & bed sheets etc. Which meant that, unless they received a miracle they would be homeless for Christmas.

Sarah is in her 80s. Although she has macular degeneration she does not let her lack of sight slow her down. She stays mobile with the help of her walker. Clyve is her son and he is in his early 40s. He has been taking temp jobs, while looking after his mom the best he can. They are the only family each other has and their bond is strong and compelling. They care for each other very much and refuse to be parted.

Until now. December 16th. Sarah and Clyve need to come up with enough money to keep living in their apartment. If they can’t, they will have to move into the DI. The son will have to stay in the men’s section. His mother in the women’s.

We were preparing to receive them here at the DI, when we got the news that Clyve had a job opportunity. It is in Northern Alberta, running Seismic. BUT he needed his driver’s license and winter work clothing. And he needed them before 4:00 p.m. that day!

So we went into action. Do we have winter clothing that would fit Clyve? He is over 6 ft tall, a big sturdy man. Our guys in the Labour Office went right to work… could not find something for him here at the DI so they checked other locations. 2 hours later Clyve had Winter Work clothing supplied!

Now the Drivers License… we needed $65.00 in cash which my supervisor Isabel advocated for and was supplied the funds. Sarah promised that she would pay it back when she was able. The three of us went down to the Registry office to get the license. When asked for his ID, Clyve did not have picture ID but had tickets from the DI’s CTI (Career Training Initiative) courses. He knew his SIN number & address from memory. This was not enough to get his Drivers License renewed.

Clyve was exasperated. He couldn’t let this opportunity slam shut in his face. He checked all his pockets, his back pack anything that would help his situation. Finally, and very sheepishly, Clyve pulled out a court document. Even though the court case was dismissed, it did confirm Clyve’s identity, complete with address & SIN number. The clerk carried this document back to her supervisor to see if this would be sufficient to provide the Drivers license renewal.

I watched the supervisor glance through the document. I could tell she was still unsure and then pointing to my Staff vest & DI logo, the Supervisor asked about my involvement in their lives. I explained who we are and why we were advocating for the family.

The clerk had met me before when I advocated to their registry on behalf of another client and she remembered me. She spoke to the supervisor, walked back to the counter and renewed Clyve’s Driver’s License. As she worked she told Clyve that I must be a good luck charm because our DI involvement with our clients had made it possible for his renewal application to be approved.

Approved is one of my favourite words!

Moments later, Clyve phoned his new employer to tell her that he courld start work the next day!

And with that call, his mother’s Christmas home was secured. Her son had work. She could keep her apartment.

What a wonderful Christmas miracle for everyone!

Rob Seiffert is a counsellor at the DI.