The Upper Valley Haven
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Haven Stories
Former Shelter Guests
Nick and Alisia with Jodi Turner
Nick and Alisia
Illness in the family can quickly wreak havoc. “That’s when everything started to spiral,” says Alisia, speaking about when her husband, Nick, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer two years ago. Up until that point, the couple had been living in a two-bedroom apartment in Vershire, VT with their three young children. Nick was working two jobs, as a diesel mechanic for the Army and building bridges for a construction firm. But when cancer struck, the doctors told Nick he couldn’t continue working. Shortly after, Nick and Alisia’s landlord asked the couple to leave their apartment, stating that it was too small for their family.
That move set into motion seven months of insecure housing, with the family living in a rundown trailer, a local motel, and friends’ and families’ houses, all the while coping with Nick’s illness. “The Haven led us down avenues that we didn’t know we had,” says Nick. “They connected us with resources to better our situation.”
Working closely with Jodi Turner, one of The Haven’s two Shelter Advocates, Nick and Alisia filled out housing applications, tracked down social security cards and birth certificates necessary for securing state healthcare benefits, and enrolled their children in day care, Headstart, and Kindergarten. “Jodi pretty much had a hand in everything,” says Alisia. “She is more like a family than someone who works with us.” In February, Nick, Alisia, and their three children moved into an apartment in White River Junction. Nick has secured a full-time job that will support his family and give them the opportunity to save for their own home.