“I got this thing in the mail saying they were going to take my house for the $3 thousand dollars I owed them. I didn’t know what to do, so I called SNAP. They took over my mortgage and paid the city off. My loan is owned by a nonprofit organization. Doesn’t get any better than that. They have worked with me every step of the way.”
Lynda, SNAP Client
A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE – LYNDA’S STORY
Lynda’s life is a testament to resilience and determination, beginning with her birth on an Air Force base in Sacramento, California. Growing up in a military family, Lynda experienced frequent relocations due to her father’s assignments. She spent her early years with her grandmother in North Idaho while her father served in Vietnam. The family then moved to Illinois and Japan before finally settling in Ohio. Eventually, they put down roots in Spokane when her father retired.
Throughout her life, Lynda has relied on the support of SNAP (Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners), which has been instrumental in helping her navigate difficult times.
“I left home when I was really young. I was fifteen and I was out on my own,” Lynda recalls. Her life took a significant turn when her father learned she was pregnant and gave her an ultimatum: give the baby up for adoption or move out. Lynda chose the latter, embarking on a challenging journey at a young age.
“I left home when I was really young. I was fifteen and I was out on my own,” Lynda recalls. Her life took a significant turn when her father learned she was pregnant and gave her an ultimatum: give the baby up for adoption or move out. Lynda chose the latter, embarking on a challenging journey at a young age.
Lynda found refuge with a woman she had previously babysat for, who had two kids of her own. Determined to provide for her child, Lynda rose at five in the morning and took two buses to attend GED classes. She had to petition the state to take the GED, as regulations at that time required students to be a year past their graduation date. At sixteen, she became the youngest person in Washington to earn a GED in 1979.
During this period, Lynda worked part-time for the school district cataloging films. Inspired by her grandfather, who was a welder, she enrolled in welding school at Spokane Community College.
After gaining experience as a welder in the Tri-Cities area, she returned to Spokane and worked in a cut-stock lumber mill until an injury in her early twenties forced her to reconsider her career path. To further her education, Lynda attended Eastern Washington University, where she earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
“I started with an undergraduate in sociology and a couple of minors in cultural anthropology and Spanish with a certification to teach ESL (English as a Second Language),” she explains. “I went to Eastern and got my master’s in English with a focus on ESL.”
Her dedication and bilingual skills caught the attention of Airway Heights Corrections Center, where she helped start their ESL program.
“They knew me at the prison and knew I was bilingual in Spanish, so right after I graduated, they called me and asked if I wanted to start an ESL program out there. I had sixty students that couldn’t speak English.”
Lynda’s teaching career flourished with opportunities at Community Colleges of Spokane, Gonzaga University, Spokane Public Schools, the Central Valley School District, and other institutions. However, her journey was not without its challenges. Diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, and hemochromatosis, a genetic blood condition, Lynda faced significant health challenges.
“I don’t have a thyroid anymore,” she explained, noting the absence of a cure for autoimmune diseases. She also experienced a series of issues with her eyes as a result and no longer drives at night.
Despite her medical obstacles, Lynda remained resilient.
“I’ve been disabled for most of my adult life, but I’ve always worked,” Lynda explained. “I got on social security disability about five years ago, but I’m allowed to work up to a certain point, so I’ve never stopped working.”
Today, she continues to contribute as a substitute teacher in special education.
Over the years, Lynda went on to have two more children, expanding her family and deepening her commitment to providing a stable and loving home. Both of her parents have passed away. In an ironic twist, Lynda now lives in the family home her father asked her to leave as a teenager. Despite their complicated history, she feels a deep obligation to be a good steward of the house.
“In the dead center of my house is a picture of my mom and dad,” Lynda shared. “It is no mistake that it is in the dead center of the home. Everything I have done here has been to honor what they began.”
As a teen mother living in the East Central Neighborhood, Lynda first became aware of SNAP.
“They were a presence in the community,” Lynda recalled. “It was Energy Assistance. I’ve gotten an energy grant every year for 21 years.”
One day while at a SNAP office applying for energy assistance, Lynda saw a brochure on SNAP’s Weatherization program.
“I filled out the application. A few months later they came and did thousands of dollars in insulation, and while they were doing it, my furnace broke. It just conked out. So, there’s SNAP. I got a grant for a new furnace,” Lynda recalled. “Workmen were here for days upgrading my home for me and my kid. I can’t say enough about SNAP.”
Nearly 20 years ago, she was in danger of losing her home due to unpaid property taxes.
“I got this thing in the mail saying they were going to take my house for the $3 thousand dollars I owed them. I didn’t know what to do, so I called SNAP. They took over my mortgage and paid the city off. My loan is owned by a nonprofit organization. Doesn’t get any better than that. They have worked with me every step of the way,” she said. “They even helped me figure out how to get my property tax reduced because I’m disabled.”
Lynda also took advantage of an opportunity to rehab her home through SNAP.
“I had spent my retirement while trying to qualify to be on disability. I made the decision to age in place, and I saw that SNAP had a program and applied. A few months later, they called me.”
The improvements to Lynda’s home were funded in part through a low-interest loan for home repair through a City of Spokane program administered by SNAP. She also qualified for several grants.
“My hot water heater went out while they were working on the house, I got a whole electrical upgrade. I got a new stove. They took out the carpet and upgraded my floors.”
Lynda’s story is one of perseverance and strength. Despite the obstacles she faced, she never gave up on her dreams or her commitment to her family. Her journey is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of community support.
“This house, to me, is like a legacy. It’s what keeps me from being homeless. It’s my one little piece of this world. And the only advocate I’ve ever had who feels any investment at all in my maintaining this and being happy has been SNAP. They’ve been my only ally in this journey that started with my father in the military.”
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