Support of community helps family of five get fresh start

BY MIKE FUHRMAN

Jessica Barnette and Randy Lambert spent last Christmas in a motel room after a series of unfortunate events left the couple despairing and on the verge of homelessness.

When his small paycheck cleared that morning, Randy drove to a nearby Walgreens – the only place that was open — and purchased a few gifts for Wyatt, Kensley and Aleah.

“They got maybe two toys a piece,” he said. “That was a rough one.”

This year, after spending nearly eight months living at the Brookwood Inn in Statesville, the family now has a furnished home of their own – and a much brighter outlook on the future.

An effort spearheaded by Fifth Street Ministries – and funded by the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, City of Statesville and the United Way of Iredell — helped dozens of individuals and families that were evicted from the hotel, an eyesore that is being demolished to make room for a new commercial development. Community members and nonprofits have donated furniture, household appliances and other necessities to help them get a new start in permanent housing.

‘It was stressful’

Jessica and Randy both lost their jobs at Interflex in Elkin on the same day when their entire production line was shut down. Soon they could not afford the rent on the home they rented on Henkel Street in Statesville. Plans to stay with a relative didn’t work out, and they found themselves at the Hallmark Inn before settling at the Brookwood, which cost $20 less per month.

While devoting every free minute to searching for full-time jobs, they worked sporadically with a relative doing roofing work, earning just enough to buy food – mostly canned goods that could be heated on a hot plate at the motel – and to pay the weekly rent.

At one point, when work was scarce and the rent at the hotel was due, Randy was forced to sell his 2002 Mercedes C320 for a thousand bucks.

“It made me sick to sell it,” he said. “It was my favorite car.”

Even after they both landed full-time jobs in August, the couple found it impossible to save enough money to afford a security deposit, first month’s rent and utility hookups for a rental home.

“You get where you are paying for your room every week so you can’t save up,” Jessica explained. “That was our problem. We couldn’t get ahead. It was stressful.”

So they remained at the Bookwood.

Although they were thankful for a place to stay and the after-school snacks provided by the motel manager, the pay-by-the-week motel was a less than ideal place for the couple, their 12-year old son and 11-year-old and 5-year-old daughters. Today, they can laugh about it and say they appreciated the “quality time” together in the two-queen bed and one-bath motel room, but there were also trying times.

Seeing a drug user fire up his meth pipe in the parking lot outside their hotel room nearly sent Randy over the edge, and watching a police officer shoot an aggressive dog on the property was also hard.

The couple put on a good face and assured their kids they were trying their best, but at night, while lying in bed, they quietly worried that they would never have a place of their own. The reality is they were one missed workday from being on the street. The smallest medical bill or unexpected expense was a major financial setback.

‘God sent Pam’

At the end of July, residents of the Brookwood Inn were told they had to vacate the premises by August 31, creating stress and uncertainty about the future.

“When we found out it was closing, we thought it was going to be a rough time,” Randy recalled. “We didn’t know if we’d have to go to the shelter.”

Soon thereafter, they met Pam Navey, the point person for Fifth Street’s efforts to help the motel residents find new – and hopefully permanent – housing.

“God sent Pam, and she helped us,” Randy said. “She was our Guardian Angel for sure.”

After the couple found a rental home on Stockton Street, Navey used money from the fund established by the city, county and United Way to help pay the deposits and first month’s rent. Donated furniture helped make the house a home.

“It opened my eyes that people still have a heart and still care,” Randy said. “Statesville really stepped up and helped.”

Today, Wyatt is happy to have his own baseball-themed bedroom. He just wishes it was easier to keep his little sisters out.

Meanwhile, Kensley and Aleah share a room with bunkbeds. They have a previously loved dollhouse and lots of unicorn stuff, which Navey dropped off one evening after they were settled into their new home.

“These kids – you would have thought it was three Christmases all rolled into one,” she said. “That was a good night.”

‘We want that American dream’

Helping Jessica and Randy and their kids – and the other displaced Brookwood Inn residents – has been a true community effort, Navey said. Local nonprofits provided many of the essentials, and within a few minutes of posting a need on Facebook residents have respond with offers to help.

Randy and Jessica have been among those who have stepped up to help other Brookwood Inn residents settle into their new homes, offering their time and effort to deliver furniture to their former neighbors.

That, Navey said, has made it so easy and fulfilling to help them.

“They are the epitome of thankfulness,” she said. “They receive with a humble heart. … It’s people like this that keep me doing what I do – and the joy of these children.

“Whatever it is, they are so grateful for the things that most of us take for granted – I love their hearts.”
Randy, who works for a beverage distributor, and Jessica, who works for a chain of convenience stores, are appreciative of the fresh start they’ve been given by a caring community.

And, with the rough patch now in the past, they are optimistic about the future.

“We want that American dream – to have our own home and land and that nobody can tell is to leave,” Jessica said.