MANSFIELD — Two years ago Tiffany Phillips and her two children – one in high school, the other in middle school – found themselves homeless.
The circumstances that led to their homelessness aren’t as important as the fact that they are back on their feet and moving forward, thanks to community support that included Mansfield City Schools’ S.A.F.E. program (Student Achievement through Family Engagement).
Phillips shared her family’s experiences – an uncertain future, living for months with friends or in a hotel – at Thursday’s annual S.A.F.E. dinner at Kingwood Center.
“If not for them, I don’t know where we would be,” she said, referring to S.A.F.E. homeless coordinators Phil Mitchell and Louise Yochheim. “Mrs. Yochheim is like my other mother.”
The S.A.F.E. program, funded by a federal grant, supports homeless children by providing school supplies, tutoring services, transportation and school-appropriate clothing.
But Mitchell and Yochheim did more after they were contacted by former middle school principal Jason Goings. They put Phillips in contact with other community resources. Among them is Catholic Charities, which paid the deposit and first month’s rent on a three-bedroom home Phillips and her children are about to move into.
“I didn’t want anyone to know we were homeless,” Phillips said of the ordeal that began two years ago. “I was working two jobs and going to NCSC but I quit within three weeks of graduating. It didn’t seem like anything could get better.
“Now I have a new job that gives me more time to be with my kids. Everything is great now, thanks to Mrs. Yochheim and Phil. I appreciate everything the community has done for my children and me.”
Through it all, Phillips said, her children have done well in school. Her daughter is a straight-A student who plays volleyball, basketball and softball.
Betsy Alexander, director of the district’s Office of State and Federal Programs, said more than 200 children are identified as homeless in Mansfield City Schools.
Homeless is defined as lacking a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. Many children designated as homeless are “doubled up,” living with relatives or friends. Others reside in the Harmony House homeless shelter. In some instances, children may be staying in motels, hotels or at campgrounds.
Also speaking at the dinner program were Vicki Kane, director of Harmony House; Laurie Hamrick of Catholic Charities and Dakota Procker of the Domestic Violence Shelter. Julie Lleshinski, director of The New Store at the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, showed a five-minute video about the free clothing and school supplies provided to children in need.
For more information about the S.A.F.E. program, contact Yochheim at Yochheim.Louise@mansfieldschools.org or Mitchell at Mitchell.Phil@mansfieldschools.org
