A Home for Annette

This past August, a family referred to Urban Homeworks through the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) was ready to move in to one of UHW’s newly rehabbed duplexes. Along with the usual hassles and joys that accompany moving day, Annette was preparing for the birth of her sixth child. Her due date was just two days before the move-in date! She was concerned about the possibility of being in the hospital and trying to get settled into her new home.

When moving day arrived, Annette had not yet delivered the baby. But because of her connection with the NAZ, staff members there took time out of their work day to help Annette move her and her children’s belongings out of storage and into their new home. Annette was so excited to be in her new house that she stayed up until four in the morning unpacking and making sure every piece of furniture and household item was in its place.

Three days later, Annette delivered her child, a healthy baby boy. With wrap-around support provided by the partnership with the NAZ, Annette was able to bring her new baby to a fully furnished, newly rehabbed home. Hers is a northside family striving to be part of a culture of achievement!

UHW is partnering with the NAZ to provide opportunities for stable, long-term housing. At her lease signing, in response to the possibility of her moving in ten years, Annette exclaimed excitedly, “I will be living in this house forever!” For more information on this effort, visit the-naz.org.

—Anna Carlson Schattauer, NAZ Housing Liaison