TRINITY APARTMENTS RESIDENT SUCCESS
“Trinity Apartments has been home to my family for the last year and a half. My children and I needed a safe place to call home in Missoula. The housing crisis in Missoula put our family at risk of homelessness, leaving me feeling scared, alone and navigating a rental system on my own that is at odds with lower-income families.
“When I found out about Trinity and put myself and my two children on the waitlist, I did so knowing that my chances of getting a home were probably low due to the sheer number of families in need of housing. After many late-night prayers, phone calls, paperwork and faith that something would work out for us, when our name came up and I signed the paperwork and got the keys to our new home, it felt too good to be true. I will never forget walking into our brand-new apartment for the first time and knowing that so many new happy memories were about to unfold in this new home that was now ours to call home.
“For the last year and a half, Trinity Apartments has been the safe home we needed for so long. The security of the front door being a key fob system and the cameras around the property allow me to breathe a little easier, as safety was priority for my kids and me. We go to sleep at night knowing we are safe and secure. This has allowed me the breathing room to put my mental and emotional energy elsewhere, towards bettering my and my children’s lives. I’m not as worried as I once was about safety. I can breathe now because of where I live.
“Thank you, Missoula Housing Authority for keeping our building so clean. I see the maintenance staff working hard every week keeping the floors and doors clean, picking up garbage and maintaining the property. Maintenance and upkeep are so important for lower-income families, as oftentimes we encounter so many obstacles that it can feel like we are less important or less deserving of dignity than higher-income bracket families.
“I know we all appreciate so much the effort and attention given to the landscaping, planting the baby trees and fresh green grass for the children to play on. As someone who didn’t have a happy childhood, when I hear children laughing and running together outside, when I drive home and see the children playing on the play structure, riding their bikes, playing tag with each other and see parents sitting on their porches in the evenings watching their children play, watering their plants and talking to each other, I am so aware that the memories these children are making will forever be a part of who they are. These happy memories being made outside in the beautifully maintained yard will be part of what these children draw on during hard times when they are adults.
“Having a home is so much more than just having an apartment in which to put stuff. Having a home means that families have a place to grow, to heal from wounds, to find safety for the first time in years or even their lives. Having a home means families can eat meals together around a table, children can be tucked into a warm bed at night and the smells of breakfast cooking on a Sunday morning reach little noses before they even get out of bed. Having a home means that families have a safe place to talk to each other, get to know friends, a place to rest and recoup. It means being able to open blinds to let sunlight in to bask the kitchen and having neighbors to wave to from porches. It means having a wall to put photos of those we love on so we can be reminded of what’s most important. Having a home means we have a place to create love, hope, dreams and discover ourselves.
“These little things that so many take for granted, are everything to families who need secure and affordable housing. For families who live paycheck to paycheck and are possibly one paycheck away from being homeless, it’s all of these seemingly little things that we are aware of and grateful for every day. Without a place like Trinity, rents would not be affordable for so many.”
“Thank you, Missoula Housing Authority and Homeword, for not just a place to call home but a place where my children and I can thrive, grow, heal and make memories that are shaping who my children are and will become. Someday, a decade or two from now, I can imagine my kids driving back to the neighborhood with their own kids and telling them, ‘This is my childhood home. This is where my mom cooked my favorite spaghetti dish. This is where my mom read me Harry Potter as I lay on the floor with my dog. This is where she held me and wiped my tears when I cried. This is where she kissed me goodnight. This is where I learned hard lessons, held on to hope, found out what life was all about, played card games with friends, laughed and wrestled with my brother, and this is where I grew into the person I am today.’
“I am forever grateful for Trinity Apartments existing because now I am thriving, too, in the home I always wished for, where I can give my kids everything I always wanted to give them: stability, safety, the happy memories I now get to create with them in a place of safety, good neighbors I call my friends and the knowing that, although I still struggle, I can pay my rent because it’s affordable.
“Trinity Apartments has allowed me to feel like a human being again, find my dignity and sleep at night. Thank you for giving my family a place to call home. It is so much more than just a building. It truly is where our heart is.”
This resident wanted to remain anonymous to protect their safety and that of their children.
