Being a single mom is tough and requires a lot of work and dedication every day. We’re all aware of the fact that it’s no small feat to take care of kids even when you’ve got everything going for you.
Now imagine for a moment how’s it like to be a single mom who lives with two kids in a small garage!
One car garage becomes a home for mom and her two kids
Nicole Jones is a mom of two and not unlike all the other single moms out there but there’s a twist in her story: she lives in a one-car garage! Nicole, who is a bartender, pays a $1000 rent per month for the converted garage.
Despite the fact she’s living with her two kids in a converted garage, Nicole feels happy to be in her home.
“I know it’s a garage,” she said, “but this was nicer than everything that I had looked at that was almost twice this price.”
Nicole could not afford to live in the area and had to look for other options
San Matteo, California, is in the middle of Silicon Valley, one of the most expensive zip codes in California and the US and Nicole could not cope with the financial burden of living in the expensive area.
Since she could not afford to pay up to $3000 a month for rent, Nicole had to search for another solution. As it turned out, the only financially viable option was a 250 square feet garage, big enough to hold Nicole’s bed and with some extra space to squeeze in a small kitchen.
Living in a cramped garage forced Nicole to make smart use of limited space
Even though the garage is quite small, Nicole’s managed to squeeze in all the essentials of a modern home, including a widescreen TV, refrigerator, microwave, and a bathroom with a toilet and a shower.
“My daughter likes it when I plug out the shower hole and make a little bathtub for her,” Nicole said.
Small as it might be, the garage is still a home to Nicole and her kids, who are happy to have a place of their own. Nicole maintains that she’s happy in her home despite the difficulties of living in such a small space.
The way we judge others reveals a lot about ourselves
Nicole’s story attracted negative criticism from people who did not like the way she approached the problem of affordable housing in the bay area.
“It breaks your heart because these people don’t know you,” said Nicole and revealed she received hateful emails that did little to help her in her predicament.
The publicity her story has attracted has spooked Nicole’s landlord and now she is afraid that he will evict her. Nicole tries to keep her cool, however. “I can go to bed at night knowing that I tried,” she said.
People like Nicole deserve our help and understanding. We can only hope that she will overcome the difficulties she faces and build a better future for her and her kids.
