COVID-19 has shaken society in so many ways. When businesses across the world were forced to shut, thousands of people lost their jobs. With no support to turn to, and very little help from outside sources, the unluckiest of the unemployed ended up without a home.
No couple has faced a more dramatic few months than Caleb Harris and his wife. Caleb, who had served in the US forces, was working part-time while in college education when the pandemic hit.
Caleb, aged 28, had been receiving GI Bill money, which helped him to cover the costs of his education after serving in the military. But he lost this benefit during the virus, because without a laptop, he couldn’t continue his course, which had been moved online.
This not only meant that he couldn’t afford school, but as he had also been using the money on expenses, he could no longer afford his home.
Even with his part-time job, Caleb realized that he just didn’t have the cash to support himself and his wife. The most stressful part about this revelation was that his wife was pregnant, and was not far at all from her due date.
Unfortunately, the situation became more serious for Caleb and his wife when they were forced to move out of their home.
Caleb applied to every veterans program he had access to, as well as Section 8 housing, which provides rental housing assistance to low-income families. But with the overwhelm of COVID-19, the couple never heard a response.
They were now living in a car, and as weeks passed, they heard nothing from the authorities on a potential home.
With his wife’s birth date looming ever closer, Caleb sent her to live with family for a while, but, under the impression that the couple would be receiving help, they returned her to Caleb.
Time was running out, and it seemed that Caleb’s wife would give birth in their car… and then, at about 2 am in the morning, halfway through his wife’s eighth month of pregnancy, her water broke.
Caleb called 911 and took charge of helping his wife to give birth. Describing the moment to Fox 11, he recalled:
“A little arm reached out, and this tiny hand hung on to mine and before I knew it, he pulled himself out”.
After heading to the hospital to give mom and baby a thorough check-over, social services were called.
They deemed that Caleb, his wife and his new baby son were eligible for a program called Project Roomkey, which was set up in LA during COVID-19 to secure hotel and motel rooms for the homeless.
The couple finally had a home – for now. They were provided with a motel room, which they were able to move into immediately after leaving the hospital.
Caleb and his wife now receive regular visits from social services, who bring diapers and other essentials for the new family.
When asked if he was still in shock after the events of the past few weeks, Caleb admitted: “Probably.” It seemed that he was unable to find the words to express his emotions now that he and his wife finally had a room to call their own.
You can watch the interview with the happy parents and learn more about their story in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
