You helped Erin Cable. You helped make sure she had immediate care. You made sure her children were safe. You made sure the family didn’t have to return to the house that could have caused nightmares for years.*
Following the violent suicide of Erin’s fiance, Erin became a single mother of five children overnight — four girls ages 9 to 15 and a 5-year-old boy. The terrifying and tragic event, which occurred in the family’s apartment, left Erin and her children hiding in the bushes outside.
The Largo Police Department was the first to take care of the traumatized family. The department put them up in a hotel and brought in a victim advocate who gave Erin a list of tasks to take care of immediately.
April Lott, the executive director of Directions for Living, a nonprofit organization providing child welfare and behavioral health services, was called in next to assess the family’s needs. A grant recipient of PCF since 1992, Directions has received more than $350,000 to fund the many services the Cables needed to heal.
April spent more than 6 hours with the Cables, carefully listening to the events that led up to the actions of Erin’s fiance. April needed to understand where the family stood mentally, physically and financially, while also considering the children’s welfare.
The school year was starting within days. Two Largo Police officers took the kids out to buy them clothes, shoes and school supplies. This gave April and Erin time to privately figure out their other needs.
Erin felt her trauma and loss so acutely that she didn’t know how she would survive. “I told Erin this will be a journey of 1,000 days; day one starts today,” said April. An amazingly strong and determined woman, Erin stopped counting at 100 days. With the support she received, she felt so strong she didn’t need to count anymore.
Erin credits Carol Lee, her counselor: “She was excellent at helping me develop healing strategies while helping me help my kids heal. Carol Lee urged me to put myself in their shoes. She helped me understand how to be a better mother.“
Directions for Living Tapped Into Pinellas Nonprofits for Help
Directions called on Community Actions Stops Abuse, a center for victims of domestic violence and longtime PCF grant recipient, to find and fund temporary housing for the Cables. As a victim of a crime, CASA was able to find funding for what the Cables called the beautiful “Healing House.”
The healing house, however, was only temporary. Continuing its support, Directions tapped into the Homeless Emergency Assistance System for households that are considered housing insecure. After 30 days, the Cables moved into their own apartment and Erin returned to work. Thanks to the Homeless Emergency Assistance Team, Erin was even able to save up for her own home.
Today, because of Erin’s personal strength and the support of Directions for Living and its many community partners, Erin will never be put in another position in which her children are not safe at home.
Erin is grateful to you. “I had no idea there was so great a safety net in the community; I never needed it before,” said Erin.
By supporting the nonprofit organizations in Pinellas through the Pinellas Community Foundation, your generosity is helping the Cables find their way to recovery.