The Diversion Program is a resource for those who have never been homeless but are on the verge of becoming homeless and we would like to share the story of the Fierro family and how your donations helped them in their time of need.

The Fierro family was referred to our agency by the Salvation Army. Ms. Fierro is a single 83-year-old living on a fixed income of $934 per month. She has suffered two heart attacks and has a defibrillator. In the midst of her health crisis, her landlord raised her rent and because of this, she fell behind in her rent and utilities. Ms. Fierro had no family or friends in El Paso that could assist financially or with their time.

Her adult son, Mr. Fierro, moved from California to El Paso to become her 24-hour caretaker (i.e. giving daily medications, grocery shopping, making meals, and cleaning the home). Mr. Fierro has told us his purpose is to care for his beautiful mother. However, he too is burdened by health issues and has recently been in a diabetic coma for six months. Because of this, Mr. Fierro is unemployed while caring for his mother, yet he is putting forth great effort into finding part-time employment. They do not have transportation, so he accompanies his mother on the bus to her doctor’s appointments, and he does all errands and grocery shopping on his bicycle.

Donations from Giving Day 2022 allowed us to assist with Miss Fierro’s overdue utility bills and one month’s rent. The Fierros allowed us to share their story with you so that they could extend to you their gratitude and tell others that because of this resource, they are now able to manage their finances every month.

El Paso Giving Day no matter the amount, all donations make an incredible impact on our community and the diversion program. Your donations give hope to others and help us be able to have a client-driven approach by having problem-solving conversations in which we listen intently to what people need so that we can allow the client to choose their path. Thanks to your generous donations we can help keep families together, be healthy, and safe, and give peace of mind to those who are in need. Some of the resources we offer are financial assistance for the deposit for an apartment, getting rent up-to-date, utility services restored, greyhound bus tickets to go home, hotel vouchers, the first month’s rent, and unemployment assistance.

The Fierros story is one of many and with each story, we learn more about how the power of your donations that have positively impacted those who needed a helping hand. We have seen how valuable each donation has been to the families and we thank you for your continued support of the Diversion Program. Together, we can be El Paso Strong and raise up our community members who desperately need hope and our help.