{"id":256,"date":"2015-11-15T16:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/holidays\/?p=256"},"modified":"2016-04-22T13:39:33","modified_gmt":"2016-04-22T13:39:33","slug":"starting-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/holidays\/2015\/11\/15\/starting-over\/","title":{"rendered":"After Job Loss And Eviction, A Family Starts From Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"

One North Texas family is getting a big gift this holiday season: Waking up Christmas morning in an apartment, instead of an extended-stay hotel.\u00a0The Rosenheims are<\/em>\u00a0climbing out of homelessness and starting from scratch this season.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"After

After three years of living in motels, the Rosenheim family just moved into a three-bedroom apartment. Parents Belinda and Dave with their children, Allison, Benjamin, far right, Tony and their dog, “Little.” Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

The Rosenheims\u2019 dog is a tiny, scrappy Chihuahua Yorkie mix with a bark that doesn\u2019t quit.<\/p>\n

Appropriately named \u201cLittle,\u201d she guards their apartment with friendly ferocity. She became part of the family over the Fourth of July\u00a0weekend, during a trip to Galveston — a trip the Rosenheims decided to take without booking a place to stay.<\/p>\n

\"After

Benjamin, 12, pets the family dog, “Little,” in his parents’ room. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThere was nothing. Ironically, there were no hotels,” Belinda Rosenheim said.<\/p>\n

Ironic because Belinda, her husband Dave and their three kids were living\u00a0in a North Texas hotel at the time, and had been for the better part of three years.<\/p>\n

Galveston was supposed to be a much-needed change of scenery, and now, there was no hope of spending the night. They\u2019d have to turn around and drive back.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when someone walked by with a box of puppies.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so Dave pulls me off to the side and says, \u2018There is no way we can get a hotel. I\u2019m thinking we should get one of these puppies.\u2019 So that\u2019s how Little joined our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of drugs. Lots of stealing and theft and making a living not necessarily in an honest way. And that goes on and on and on.”
Dave Rosenheim, describing extended-stay hotel life<\/div>
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Losing Middle Class Comfort<\/h4>\n

The Rosenheims lived a typical middle class life for years. Dave, a veteran who was treated for post-traumatic stress disorder\u00a0after he came back from the first Gulf War, had\u00a0a well-paying career in aerospace. Belinda was a stay-at-home mom.<\/p>\n

When Dave lost his job in 2012, the bottom fell out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most amazing thing about this entire journey is the strength that Belinda has and the strength that my kids have,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"After

In the kitchen, Belinda gives her daughter Allison, 14, a hug as Tony looks at his phone. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

The Rosenheims went from comfortable apartment living with money in the bank to a drained savings account and an eviction.<\/p>\n

Dave said life was tough for their kids as they bounced around from hotel to hotel. Daughter Allison is now 14, and twin sons Tony and Ben are 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of drugs. Lots of stealing and theft and making a living not necessarily in an honest way. And that goes on and on and on,” Dave said about the hotels where they lived.<\/p>\n

Spending the holidays in an extended-stay hotel was grim. There was no place to hang the stockings. The only gifts the kids got were donated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no Christmas tree, there was no baking cookies,” Dave said. “There was no Christmas dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing Priorities<\/h4>\n

The Rosenheims used\u00a0to worry about things like what American Girl doll Allison would find under the tree. Spending months at a time in hotel rooms changed Belinda\u2019s priorities dramatically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one is feeding them, and the second one was saving them from being humiliated,” Belinda said. “I didn\u2019t want them to stand out from everyone else. I wanted them to fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"After

Allison Rosenheim, 14, sorts out flashcards while talking to her brother, Tony, 12, in her room.\u00a0Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

That\u00a0meant Belinda tried to keep their clothes in decent shape. She’d take them to the library after school to use the computer,\u00a0and they’d spend Saturdays at the dollar movie theater.<\/p>\n

The holidays were harder to pull off.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot like not talking about the pink elephant that\u2019s taking up most of the room: the holidays,” Belinda said. “You would just try to talk about something else, think about something else, redirect their attention. Focus them anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dave has had a steady job at Fitz Aerospace in North Richland Hills for close to two years now. He makes less than half of what he used to earn. He\u2019s moved from an office to a warehouse, working mostly overnight shifts. He picks up as much overtime as he can, treating metal parts for corrosion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr I\u2019ll cut the metal, or I\u2019ll heat the metal, or I\u2019ll stage the metal, or I\u2019ll ship the metal, or I\u2019ll bring the packages to FedEx or UPS, or whatever they need me to do,” Dave says. “It\u2019s whatever they need me to do. I don\u2019t say no.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one is feeding them, and the second one was saving them from being humiliated.\u00a0I didn\u2019t want them to stand out from everyone else. I wanted them to fit in.\u201d
Belinda Rosenheim, on how priorities for her kids changed when they lived in hotels<\/div>
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Reeling From An Eviction<\/h4>\n

The Rosenheims learned quickly that while they may have employment, income doesn\u2019t equal housing. With an eviction in their rental history, they couldn\u2019t find a place to live.<\/p>\n

Belinda said they wasted hundreds of dollars on application fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would take our money, and turn us down,” she said.<\/p>\n

That happens a lot. Otis Thornton with the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition says the rental market is so tight that many property owners turn away people with evictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest concern is for folks who have long periods of time without housing,” Thornton said. “Landlords can just be more picky when the vacancy rates are very low.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dave

Dave Rosenheim carries the laundry to the family vehicle to be taken to the laundromat. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/p><\/div>\n

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In Tarrant County, 6,300 people were homeless at some point this year. In the Mid Cities, where the Rosenheims live, there aren\u2019t many shelters, so many people end up in extended-stay hotels.<\/p>\n

Thornton said there\u2019s never enough affordable housing in North Texas, and what is out there gets snapped up by renters who are more financially qualified.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the recession and the housing market bubble popped, a number of folks who were previously homeowners became renters,” he said.<\/p>\n\n

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  • \"\"
    Parents Belinda and Dave Rosenheim sneak a kiss in the bedroom they share in North Richland Hills. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Allison Rosenheim, 14, sorts out flashcards in her room. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Allison Rosenheim, 14, holds the family dog \"Little\" on her bed. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Allison Rosenheim, 14, displays some fingernail polish in the corner of her room. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Tony Rosenheim. 12, writes on a white board in 14-year-old Allison's room. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Twin boys Benjamin and Tony Rosenheim share a room and each have a \"twin\" bed. The only decoration in the room is a collection of Pokemon cards above Benjamin's bed. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    The family dog \"Little\" in his bed on 14-year-old Allison Rosenheim's bed. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
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    The family dog, \"Little,\" in the almost bare living room in North Richland Hills. Photo\/Lara Solt<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n