In the summer of 2021, a Community Link customer suffered from a massive aneurysm and took her last breath on the floor of her living room. Her mother, Luce Taylor, and her two young children were left in shock over her sudden and tragic death.

Ms. Taylor, a 72-year-old grandmother, found herself grieving her youngest child while taking on the responsibilities of raising her two grandchildren. Ms. Taylor relies on her monthly social security check as the only source of income for the family. “I’m at a standstill,” she said. “I feel stuck. Just stuck.”

Joining the workforce again is not an option for Ms. Taylor due to health complications. She is busy ensuring that her two grandchildren are keeping up with their school work. Jaleesa is a 13-year-old girl who loves to dance and Aaron, 15, spends his free time playing games online with his friends.

The utilities company came knocking about the large gas bill that was passed to Ms. Taylor in the wake of her daughter’s death. A representative from the company told Community Link: “Since the grandmother was there during the time of the Customer death and benefitted from the gas, grandmother must pay the bill.” Although payments have been made, the remaining bill is still high.

Community Link has been with Ms. Taylor throughout this whole process. Her Community Link caseworker talked with the housing provider and utility company to work out a system so the gas bill has payments made monthly.

“Having Community Link means a lot. I called Community Link because I didn’t know what was going to become of us.. I’ve faced homelessness before and I thought we would all be facing homelessness. But Community Link came through for us.” We were able to find new housing for the family in the fall of 2021so they can have a fresh start.

Ms. Taylor and her grandchildren are fighting in the face of extreme shock; they are trying to press on and be a united family. Your donation can keep this family off the streets and set up a better future for the grandchildren- breaking cycles of generational home insecurity. Unrestricted donations are critical for customers like Ms. Taylor. Please donate to Community Link today: www.communitylinknc.org/donate