The Creed Family Completes their Puzzle
November 15, 2021 | By: Cindy Isabel, CSL Chief Development Officer
Bill and Patricia prepare for their next adventure in St. Joseph, MO.
Sometimes, the journey to self-sufficiency is a long one, fraught with adversity that threatens to derail you from your goals. This is a story of resiliency, courage, resourcefulness and a profound belief that eventually, life will get better.
Bill, Patricia and their adopted granddaughter Jazzmyne were refugees from Hurricane Katrina who came to the Kansas City area from Mississippi. They got back on their feet for a while until a health crisis for Patricia disrupted their lives again.
They were making their way to Kansas City to be closer to family because Patricia, who had a serious heart condition, believed she was going to die and she wanted Bill and Jazz to be near family for support. When Patricia had her open-heart surgery and to her surprise – lived, they decided to make Missouri their home and began seeking opportunities for stabilization.
In 2013, they came to the attention of Community Services League (CSL) while staying in the CrossRoads Shelter and were enrolled into CSL’s Supportive Housing Program (SHP).
CSL partners with HUD and the KC metro Continuum of Care to provide long-term, permanent rental housing and support services to homeless neighbors who have disabling conditions.
Patricia’s heart condition qualified the family for the program that gave them a home, rent-free, for nearly ten years. They moved into a rental bungalow on Main Street in Independence just as Jazzmyne turned 13 years old.
The connection to CSL’s SHP was the key to stabilizing life for the Creed family.
In addition to rent-free housing, Bill and his family received regular assistance, including food, household goods, school supplies and even a donated vehicle - all through CSL. “Both Bill and I were able to have dental work done, get dentures and that was a life changer for us,” said Patricia. “You just feel so much better about yourself that there isn’t anything that you cannot do.”
Once they were settled, they took advantage of the financial coaching that CSL offered. They budgeted the funds from Patricia’s disability income. With the help of CSL, they applied for low limit credits cards and learned to charge and then pay balances off through their monthly budget. Bill credits his CSL coaches with helping him understand how to use their money as a pathway out of poverty – increasing their credit scores, their household income and their net worth at the same time. They built their credit scores into the mid 700’s.
It has been a long journey for the Creed family. They credit the stability they received through the supportive housing program as the key to their success. For Jazzmyne, who is 21 years old now, that stability was a first in her young life. It gave her the foundation she needed to graduate high school early and continue her education. Her success story began at CSL too. Today, she is newly married and studying for her real estate license while she and her husband, Tyler, run their car detailing business.
Bill and Patricia are the proud new owners of a historic Lake Victorian Folk house in St. Joseph, MO. They move into their new home in December 2021. “It’s been an emotional and amazing journey to homeownership for us,” said Patricia. “It’s taken a long time. CSL and the financial coaches, along with Holy Rosary Credit Union helped us put the puzzle pieces together that led us to being financially secure and able to purchase our new home.”
They are moving from the same house where they started the program, always in gratitude, always with a sense humor. The puzzle is complete.
