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Home at Last
A year ago John and Ruby Cox and their four children were on the streets.
Their home had been condemned by the city. They became consumed by debt. Their poor credit history prevented them from renting an apartment. Worst of all, the threat of losing their children to the County loomed over them.
Life appeared hopeless.
Enter - the refuge of the Salvation Army.
A short while back John and Ruby, married sixteen years, fulfilled a dream by purchasing what most hard-working families desire -- a house. Little did they know that major housing code violations including electrical and duct problems, along with roofing, plumbing and window horrors, their dream in East Dayton would soon become a nightmare.
The Cox’s had known of the Salvation Army. Ruby attends church services there. So she and her family gave it a shot…Ruby and the kids moved into the main shelter, and John lived at the Boothe House on the Veterans’ Floor (he served two tours in Vietnam).
The staff at the Salvation Army provided major support and caused the two of them to, in their words, grow up. They were assigned a caseworker who helped them with their finances. That caseworker planned for them a budget that allowed them to begin the repair of their home. Every pay check the family earns is funneled through the Salvation Army, though they can access it at will. Now the couple is saving money, and freedom from their nagging deficit is nearing.
The staff also called on many city offices to help the family with stubborn ordinances and regulations that were delaying the completion of their renovations.
The opportunity to save money while gaining the discipline to live by a strict budget, combined with the advocacy provided by the people at the Salvation Army have changed the lives of the Cox family. Finally given permission by the city, the family moved into their revitalized home last summer.
John and Ruby admit they fear the family ultimately would have been split apart were it not for the shelter and guidance they received at the Salvation Army. That United Way agency has allowed the Cox family to grow and learn.
Their lives will be forever changed.