EDITOR’S NOTE: This is another in a series of articles on the Peninsula Daily News Peninsula Home Fund. Please click on the Home Fund button at left to download and print out a coupon to accompany your donation.
PORT HADLOCK — It was a wonderful life for Mathew and Phillis Harding of Port Hadlock.
He had a well paying construction job, and she was a stay-at-home mom.
Then a series of unexpected and unfortunate events began in March, and Mathew, 29, Phillis, 28, and their 2-year-old son, Andrew, found themselves homeless and virtually penniless.
“We’d probably be sleeping in my van,” Mathew said, if it wasn’t for the help of OlyCAP — Olympic Community Action Programs — and the Peninsula Daily News’ Peninsula Home Fund.
The Peninsula Home Fund is a non-profit program managed by OlyCap that provides a safety net for residents of Jefferson and Clallam counties who have nowhere else to turn during a time of emergency.
Every penny donated goes — without any deductions for administrative overhead — to providing hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for children, car and home repairs for those with a low income, needed glasses, prescription drugs, dental work, safe housing . . . the list goes on and on.
Eviction notice
For the Hardings, it meant a new home and future after struggling with obstacle after obstacle for months.
Mathew and Phillis had caught up on their finances in March, without a penny to spare, when they were given less than two months notice that they had to move out of the three-bedroom double-wide trailer they were renting.
To save money for a deposit on a new place, the Hardings put their possessions in storage and moved in with Mathew’s brother.
However, the only space available was a modified garage that had been turned into a room.
After three months of being crammed in together, the Hardings knew they had to leave.
OlyCAP, the No. 1 emergency care agency on the North Olympic Peninsula, set the Hardings up for two months in the emergency-shelter cottages it operates in Port Townsend.
It seemed the Hardings were well on their way to securing enough money for a deposit when in June Mathew had to leave his job.
A 9-year-old back injury he sustained while serving in the Marine Corps flared up, and his doctor told him he could no longer work in construction.
At about the same time, Phillis found out she was pregnant with their second child.
The two were only $150 short of securing a $500 deposit for a two-bedroom apartment.
Seeing the Hardings trying to overcome every obstacle thrown at them, George Thomas, their OlyCAP case manager, decided they were perfect candidates for a “hand up, not a handout” from the Peninsula Home Fund.
With $150 from fund, the Hardings were able to secure their new home.
Year-round program
In managing the Peninsula Home Fund, OlyCAP staff screen applicants all year long from Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush.
They work with each individual and family that comes through their doors, developing a plan of self-sufficiency or helping them with a one-time emergency.
“George and the OlyCAP people have helped a lot,” Mathew said.
“The independence is great.”
The Hardings moved into their new apartment in August, just in time to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
“The biggest thing is knowing we have a roof over our head,” Phillis said, and all that’s left is catching up on bills.
After Phillis gives birth to their second child in a few months, she’ll go back to work while Mathew pursues vocational training in a career that won’t aggravate his back.
Right now he’s tossing around the idea of either getting a certificate to teach English or training in small engine repair.
“As far as needs go, we’re pretty much taken care of,” Mathew said.
“Our biggest concern is getting back on top.”
No deductions
From Thanksgiving through Dec. 31, the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund is seeking contributions for its annual holiday season fund-raising campaign.
* No money is deducted for administration or other overhead.
* All contributions are tax-deductible.
* Your personal information is kept confidential. Peninsula Daily News does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone, or make any other use of it.
* All instances of help are designed to get an individual or family through the crisis — and back on the path to self-sufficiency. That’s the “hand-up, not a handout” focus of the fund.
* Peninsula Home Fund case managers work with each individual or family to develop a plan to become financially stable — and avoid a recurrence of the emergency that prompted aid from the fund.
Spent by Dec. 31
Begun in 1989, the fund is supported entirely by Jefferson and Clallam county residents.
Individuals, couples, businesses and school groups set a new record for contributions in 2004 — $108,514.54.
All of that money is expected to be spent by Dec. 31.
As of mid-November, the fund had helped almost 1,400 individuals and families.
* Peninsula Home Fund contributions are often used in conjunction with money from churches, service clubs and other donors, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contribution.
* Money is usually distributed in small amounts, usually up to $100.
* Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
To apply for a grant from the fund, call OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Clallam County) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
If you have any questions about the fund, contact John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500.
Or e-mail him at john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com.
How to donate
A gift of any size is welcome.
The Peninsula Home Fund has never been a campaign of heavy hitters.
If you can contribute only a few dollars, please don’t hesitate because you think it won’t make a difference.
Every gift makes a difference, regardless of its size.
To donate, write a check to “Peninsula Home Fund” and attach it to the coupon that you can download by clicking on the Home Fund button at left.
Mail both items to Peninsula Home Fund, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles 98362.
Or drop them at the newspaper’s offices in Port Townsend, Sequim or Port Angeles.
Again, all contributions are tax-deductible.
You will receive a written thank you and acknowledgment of your contribution.
Peninsula Daily News publishes stories every Wednesday and Sunday during the fundraising campaign listing contributors and reporting on how the fund works.