Voice
In their words
We were denied based on our old income, but we're earning less now.
Hossina can go at 2. Aboul has the English and is at work.
We need someone to see the household, not half of it.
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Composite persona. Not a real client.
Who we serve · composite persona
Aboul & Hossina
Engagement path Eviction notice, rental assistance
Language barriers, work schedules, and eligibility rules complicate one household's effort to resolve its housing crisis.
Aboul and Hossina are a two-parent immigrant family in their mid-thirties with three children, including a newborn at the time of the April 2025 workshop. They live in a two-bedroom apartment and, at times, their car. Aboul drives and picks up gig work; a loss of gig income contributes to a second eviction notice and $3,400 in arrears. Hossina cares for the baby. Rental assistance leaves a gap, while prior income and work history complicate access to other help. They have contacted WDC and other programs for employment and benefits support and monitor rent payments, but guidance remains limited. Hossina has more daytime availability and needs Amharic interpretation; Aboul has more English but is at work. Childcare, transport barriers, and behavioral-health stigma limit which services they can use. Their family and immigrant support network helps them persist. They want steady work, a thriving family, education for their children, and ESL opportunities for Hossina.
Aboul and Hossina are presented as one household because their situation is a household situation. Splitting them would hide the problem.
What they are good at
- They act quickly when the notice arrives
- They divide labor to keep work and appointments moving
- They keep track of what they owe and how much help they still need
- They are persistent across multiple partial answers
- Driving and gig-work experience, with a commitment to steadier employment
- Family and immigrant support network, plus some housing and transport connections
What they are carrying
- Second eviction notice and $3,400 in arrears
- Prior-income rules that miss the present crisis
- Language access needs at every meaningful step
- A split between who has English and who has daytime availability
- Three children, including a newborn in the workshop profile, with Hossina caring for the baby
- Loss of gig income, rent payments to monitor, and limited guidance on next steps
- Childcare, transport, and behavioral-health stigma that limit service access
What they hope for
- A real path to close the rent gap
- A household plan, not separate adult fragments
- Interpretation without having to prove they need it
- Steady work and a thriving family with educational opportunities for the children
- ESL support so Hossina can improve her English
What they would never volunteer
- That sleeping in the car has already happened
- How much the appointment time forces Hossina to carry alone
- How little the denial explanation makes sense in English, let alone Amharic