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January 23, 2010

American Dream Lost: In one year’s time, Brittany Cahill has gone from riches to rags

By Sue Loughlin

TERRE HAUTE — A year ago, 32-year-old Brittany Cahill owned a $185,000 home, drove an Eclipse Spyder and operated her own business.

Today, she is homeless, and she and her two children, Krystian and Cheyenne Mason, live in the Bethany House emergency shelter. “If you would have told me a year ago that I would be in a homeless shelter, I would have laughed in your face,” she said in a recent interview in the Bethany House resident kitchen.

Typical of so many Americans, she lived beyond her means and didn’t save. “I was living the American dream, but I was doing so week to week,” she said.

When times got tough, her business closed, she lost her home and eventually her car — and now, she and her family must rebuild their lives. “I think it’s important for people to know that this can happen to anyone,” said the Louisville, Ky., native, who moved to the Wabash Valley in July.

The climb back up

Intelligent and highly motivated, Cahill doesn’t plan to be homeless for long. She’s working the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift as a waitress at Denny’s; she’s taking full-time classes at Ivy Tech Community College and is resuming studies to become a registered nurse; and she’s been approved for temporary housing/utility assistance through a program that uses federal stimulus funds.

She’s been searching for housing and also taking care of Krystian, 13, a student at Chauncey Rose Middle School, and Cheyenne, 11, a student at Franklin Elementary.

Cahill is doing all of this without a car, although she hopes to have one soon. She acknowledges she’s a little sleep-deprived these days. “I’m kind of an overachiever,” she said.

To get around, she usually is able to find a ride to her destinations. Typically, her boyfriend takes her to work at night, and a Denny’s manager takes her back to Bethany House in the morning.

“I have to walk once in awhile,” she said.

It’s been a humbling, even embarrassing experience, Cahill said. She never expected to be waitressing tables again.

But at the same time, the family has learned what really counts in life. “My children have learned that Xboxes and go-carts aren’t what’s important. Even though we’re in a homeless shelter, we still have what’s important … family. The love, the togetherness. If I were to be separated from my children, I’d probably just give up. That would probably be my breaking point.”

Despite the radical change in lifestyle, her children “are supportive and so understanding,” she said.

A helping hand

Last summer, Cahill and her two children left Kentucky and moved to Clinton, where her boyfriend’s parents live and offered them a place to stay. “I really appreciate the time they let us stay,” she said. But, after awhile, “They didn’t have the room or financial means to help us.”

While Cahill does have family in Kentucky, no one was in a position to assist them, she said.

She also moved because the job market wasn’t good in Louisville, and she thought it would be better here.

Cahill has been divorced from the children’s father for about 51/2 years. He lives in Louisiana and the children don’t have much contact with him, she said.

In December, Cahill and her children moved to Bethany House, which offers a 120-day program, although it allows extensions under certain circumstances.

“It’s definitely comfortable, but there is a rigorous schedule,” Cahill said. There are curfews, chores, mandatory meetings and rules.

For example, those doing laundry must use cold water until after 2 p.m. because the Bethany House Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen needs the hot water. During the day, adult residents are expected to keep busy with job searches, appointments or assigned chores, although in Cahill’s case, she does have a job.

“They’ve got it down to a science here. They obviously know what they’re doing,” Cahill said. The rules are there for a reason and “it makes things run smoothly.”

School-aged children enroll in school and participate in the Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall after-school and summer programs.

Cahill and her children sleep in a small, upstairs room — she has a twin bed, and the kids have bunk beds. Common areas include a kitchen, living room and office area; residents share two bathrooms. “That gets to be a little hectic when there are a lot of families,” Cahill said.

In the bedroom, the three of them pack everything they need for day-to-day living. “It’s a daily cleaning ritual to keep things organized,” Cahill said.

Last week, 20 people — women and children — lived at the shelter, which was at its capacity. “Regardless of where we came from, we’re all in the same situation now, and we work together really well,” Cahill said.

Dottye Krippen, director of Bethany House, described Cahill as a “model resident. She’s been an example for other residents and an encouragement to them. It’s been a real blessing having her.”

A positive perspective

On Wednesday evening, Cahill cooked a dinner of Polish sausage, twice-baked potatoes and broccoli and cheese in the resident kitchen. She had walked to her son’s school and then on to the Locust Street IGA to buy the food.

Krystian and Cheyenne had finished activities in Ryves Youth Center and watched television in the Bethany House living area. They goofed off with other children staying at the shelter.

“Broccoli is awesome,” Krystian said, and he was serious. “He wore a black T-shirt that said, “Don’t blame me, blame video games.”

“He’s been our joker from day one,” his mom said.

Their lives have changed drastically, but Cheyenne puts it in perspective. “It’s really not that big of a bother, because we meet new friends and have new experiences.”

She does miss her friends and family in Kentucky, but she still talks to them by phone.

They still have a lot of their possessions, although many are in storage. “Obviously, the pool didn’t come with us,” Cahill said. “That was a hard one to lose.”

Cheyenne described Bethany House as “a great place,” but she’s looking forward to having her own home again.

Krystian said of his new life and surroundings, “I don’t really care. It doesn’t bother me that much, but I had so many friends down there [in Kentucky] and just to leave them, it felt kind of weird.”

Switching schools mid-year has been kind of a tough adjustment, he said. At the start of the school year, he attended South Vermillion Middle School.

After the family gets settled into new housing, Krystian is looking forward to getting his Xbox back. “That’s pretty much all I need,” he said.

Cheyenne says, “The thing I’m looking forward to is getting my two doggies back.” They are in Clinton with her mom’s boyfriend.

Cheyenne and Krystian know their mom is working hard to give them a better life. “It’s kind of hard when you don’t get to spend time with her,” Cheyenne said, but she knows her mom’s goal is a good-paying job.

Said Krystian: “I know it’s for a good thing. When it all finishes, she’ll have a very awesome job and we’ll be not so down with the economy like we are now.”

Cheyenne and Krystian don’t consider themselves homeless. “At least we have a roof over our head and food in our mouth,” Cheyenne said.

“One paycheck away…”

Reflecting on the life she left behind in Kentucky, Cahill said she had a water and fire restoration cleaning business for several years before increased competition and the poor economy took a toll and she went out of business.

“The mistakes I made both in my personal life and my business life was just a lack of savings,” she said.

“I was sold into a mortgage beyond what I should have been. I had picked out a much lower-cost home” but a mortgage broker convinced her to buy a new home that she really couldn’t afford. “I was in over my head with my mortgage,” she said.

She bought nice things “and gave my kids everything they wanted — you know, kind of the American dream thing. You want to give your kids what they want: Nikes and Xboxes, trampolines and go-carts, the whole nine yards.”

But when she went out of business and couldn’t make payments on her home, she lost it. She looked for other work, but the jobs just weren’t there.

Within weeks after dropping her car insurance to liability only, the car was totaled in an accident, which left Cahill without transportation.

Looking back at the traumatic chain of events, “The biggest shock to me was that it spiraled so quickly downhill and the climb back up is a lot more challenging than the fall down,” she said.

She does see an end to her current plight. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

While embarrassed at being homeless, she wants to share her story and to let people know it can happen to anyone. “You’re only one paycheck away, most of us,” she said. “The way that society in general in America has lived, that’s the reality.”

Her advice now is to “save every penny you have extra. That should be the new American dream. Save. Build that savings account so that when the economy or your situation changes, you have something to fall back on.”

Something

to celebrate

Cahill will celebrate her 33rd birthday Monday, and she has an extra special reason to celebrate. She’s found a home to rent, it’s been approved and she’s now waiting for it to be inspected.

“I’ve told Dottye [Krippen] if she sees any crazy activity outside, it’s me doing cartwheels,” Cahill said early Friday afternoon.

The night before, Cahill had spent several hours in class at Ivy Tech and then worked the overnight shift at Denny’s. “I should be sleeping at this point, but it will take some major sedation,” she said, thrilled at the prospect of being homeless no more.



Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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