Iman and her newborn son Indigo were first photographed at their home in Cleveland in the summer of 2020. Shortly after, Iman realized that this home was not a safe place, so when Indigo was 3 months old, they moved in with a friend in North Hill. As a single mom with limited resources and no reliable options for childcare, Iman would pick up temporary jobs whenever she could, while still seeking permanent housing for her and her son.
“We stayed in North Hill for a year nine months. After we left North Hill, we were in a shelter for a week, then moved to a different shelter for a couple of months while we were waiting for our paperwork to go through,” Iman said. “The first shelter was a little rough, but the second one was actually kind of great because it was apartment style. You had your own bed and bathroom and then we just had to share a common space with another family, which was just the living room and kitchen. So it wasn't too bad.”
I asked Iman about the process of finding housing, and she explained: “For CMHA Section 8, you have to go to the movers class and then complete a RFTA packet that you and the landlord fill out. It takes about 30 to 45 days to actually be processed, sometimes it can take longer. Once you go through that, they do the inspection and you can sign the contract.”
Iman has gone through the Housing Choice Voucher Program twice for her housing. “The next place, hopefully we can stay for a little bit,” said Iman. “I'm not very keen on the area, it’s just what I could take right now. It's in a red zone, so it's not really cared for, unfortunately.”
For Iman, the pandemic felt like an opportunity to pause and reflect “It really helped me because it was the time of my life where I needed to slow down. Between having Indigo and a lot of stuff going on with my health, it was like a blessing in disguise in some ways, giving me more time to focus on my health and my baby. That's my theme now. I’ve been working with this fibromyalgia specialist and he's helping me understand what I need to do to continue to allow my body to restore some of its energy. I'm taking the time to get healthy and focus on me, because it's been so challenging to maintain work and family life. It’s been recurring themes: listening to my health journey and slowing down and pacing myself.”
July, 2020
Glenville-Cleveland
June 2021
North Hill