Anna
was the morning manager at a McDonald’s restaurant in Shawnee when
some emergency surgery left her with unexpected hospital bills. To
make matters worse, the lease on her trailer expired. New owners
bought the trailer park and required her to sign another lease, but
she missed the deadline so they told Anna she had to leave. They gave
her 30 days to find another place.
Anna needed about $1,000 for the deposit and first month’s rent on an apartment, but she didn’t have the money. She sought financial assistance but admits, "I was embarrassed asking for help. I had a job and really didn’t consider my family homeless. Besides, people told me there wasn’t a homeless shelter in Johnson County." It wasn’t true, but Anna didn’t find that out until later.
She decided her best option was to put her family’s belongings into storage and live out of the van, her ex- husband had given her. Anna’s 21-year-old daughter decided to move in with a friend.
For the next 45 days, Anna, her 10-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son lived and slept in the van. At night, with the owner’s permission, they parked their van in the rear of McDonald’s parking lot. Anna remembers, "It was during June and July, and it was really hot. When we went to sleep we locked the doors and cracked the windows to get some air. We’d get up around 4:30 a.m., go inside McDonald’s to use the bathroom to clean up for work. I told the kids to think of it as camping only we were sleeping in a van instead of a tent."
As Anna served Breakfast Burritos and Egg McMuffins, her children drew pictures, read books and played inside McDonald’s Playland. The owner allowed the children to stay while their mother worked. He even brought in a TV set and video games to keep them occupied. He also allowed them to eat for free twice a day.
When Anna finished work, she took her children to the park or library. The kids usually had baseball or softball games at night. Meanwhile, Anna kept looking for a place to live, but things were complicated by the fact that creditors were demanding payment on past-due medical bills. Finally, she went to Catholic Charities. Although the agency didn’t have a homeless shelter, a counselor told her about the Salvation Army Family Lodge in Olathe. At that time the shelter was full, but two days later Anna received a call at work inviting her to bring in her family.
She remembers, "I felt helpless and embarrassed, but when we arrived we found a lot of caring people who didn’t judge us, but Instead offered their support. They taught us how to budget our money, how to apply for housing assistance and how to handle our bills. They let us stay for six months until we regained control of our lives."
While she was at the Family Lodge, Anna received counseling through the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. She took classes in parenting, computers, math and self-worth. Today, Anna feels much more confident and self-assured. She continues working as the morning manager at McDonald’s while her family lives in a rented home in Prairie Village. This summer, her children are riding bikes, playing with friends and swimming at the neighborhood pool….instead of killing time, waiting for mom to get off work.
Through her family’s entire ordeal, Anna didn’t miss a single day of work at McDonald’s. She is sharing her story for a reason. "I want people to know that there is help available. I hope, they won’t have as much trouble finding it as I did …but even more important, please tell them not to be embarrassed or afraid to ask."