Can you imagine having two kids but not being able to hear them?

This is the story of the Norig family. The mom and dad of two beautiful children (1 & 3 years old) are both deaf and they also care for the grandma, who is both deaf and mute! The parents could not hear when the kids would wake up or how loud they would be when playing with toys. Although the parents could not hear the children’s laughter, banging of toys and running around excitedly, the neighbors definitely could.

They found themselves facing homelessness when they were evicted from their apartment because their kids were being kids, but living on the streets was not an option for them. The family faced difficulty navigating the shelter system as ASL interpreters are few and far between. Everything they tried continued to be faced with frustration and hopelessness.

Luckily, the family walked into HIS House and was connected to our highly trained Housing Navigator, Ruth, who initially could only sign the alphabet in ASL. The most basic of information took so much time and several sheets of paper to understand – but after some time, with the help of Illumination Foundation and the Santa Ana PD, was able to connect them to a temporary emergency shelter in Santa Ana. The family received immediate basic assistance while Ruth and the Norig Family worked diligently to find a more permanent solution.

“Thank you so much for taking the time to work with me and my family! Our new home is amazing and we are so grateful for everyone who took a chance on us.”

After 35 days in the shelter, the family was able to close escrow on a beautiful home in Victorville. Thanks to the generous donors in the community, HIS House was able to provide the family with a fridge, couches, beds and beddings, kitchen supplies and other awesome furnishings to make their forever house a home. With a stable roof overhead, they are happily living a life of self-sufficiency with all the noise the kids can make!!

Thanks to your support, families like the Norig’s, have the courage to keep going. It’s why your support is so critical to meeting the needs of the hundreds of homeless men, women, and children HIS House serves each day, who are also in need of help and hope.