Sometimes one life-changing event can push a family from stability to homelessness, but for Alie and Antonio, four events happened in quick succession, and despite Alie calling all the resources she could find for help staying in their apartment, in November 2024, they had no choice but to enter shelter with People Serving People.
Alie and Antonio met while she worked as a phlebotomist and he served as a security officer at a local hospital. They developed a friendship, but then Antonio lost his job. The two started dating shortly thereafter. Antonio lights up as he shares that they were soon engaged. They began planning for a wedding, and Alie became pregnant. But their plans for their future family were interrupted when Antonio suffered a heart attack that resulted in major surgery that used veins from his forearm and thigh to repair his heart. After surgery, Antonio faced a long recovery that left him unable to look for work and needing a lot of in-home care. Alie continued to work and care for Antonio. They welcomed their daughter, Sunflower, a few months later. However, when Alie requested additional maternity leave to arrange care for Sunflower and Antonio, her employer refused, forcing her to quit. Without someone to care for her fiancé and daughter, Alie couldn’t continue to work.
“It was a really dark time. It was right around the holidays, and it was so stressful trying to find a place to store our things and get them moved before we had to be out, “ said Alie.” Then, we had to stay in the [Hennepin County] overflow shelter for a few nights. It was tough to do with a fiancé who uses a walker and an infant, but they put up a screen to give us some privacy.”
Now in stable housing, Alie and Antonio reflect on their time living at People Serving People’s Downtowns shelter. Expressing gratitude while also acknowledging the stress they endured, Alie reflects, “I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without Antonio and the Advocates. They helped connect us to things we needed.”
