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A family fights homelessness.

HARRY KIRS BAUM

Staff Writer

John Sterbling for more details
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obless, homeless
and nearly out of
hope, Marla
Levin-Byrd's life is one
nightmarish cliche fol-
lowing another.
She began to be
caught in the spiraling
cycle of homelessness in
2002, after the difficult
birth of her premature
twins. She says she could
not return to her grocery
store job after maternity
leave because she was offered only the
day shift and had care for her twins
then.
She also was fending for her dis-
abled father, Michael Levin, 62. He
had been living with her for five years,
sharing his disability payments.
In September 2003, Levin-Byrd,
now 33, gave birth to her third child.
Her husband was in and out of her
life, but left last October. Then, she
lost her apartment for lack of payment.
Some public help came from food
stamps, medical benefits and cash
assistance from the state Family
Independence Agency. She also baby-
sat and did odd jobs.
Still, she became one of the estimat-
ed 1,200 homeless people in Oakland
County. Jewish Family Service
spokesman David Moss said Levin-
Byrd is not alone in the Jewish com-
munity.
"We get three or four requests per
month for housing assistance from
Jewish people, whether homeless or on
the verge of being homeless, and 12-
16 requests for assistance for rent from
people who are facing eviction," he
said.
And the problem has worsened in
the last few years, due in part to the
economy.
Once her father moved to Prentis
Jewish Apartments in Oak Park,
Levin-Byrd moved to Florida to live
with an aunt. Her condo was for sen-
iors only, so a month later, the family
landed in a crowded Broward County
shelter where their belongings were
stolen and the children were unsafe.
A friend paid their airfare back to
Detroit. "We came back on Christmas

,

-

939560

Marla Levin-Byrd at her father's apart-
ment with her children Troy, 17
months, twins Marcel and Shalom, 2.

Eve 2004," Levin-Byrd said. "We
stayed with my mother for a while.
Last month, I moved in with my
father at Prentis."
So far, technicalities and circum-
stances have prevented her from get-
ting state aid.
"I'm stuck right now," she said. "I'm
doing everything I possibly can. I've
been dealing with Jewish Family
Service. They're willing to help me get
into a place, but I have no income. I
need to have the first month's rent
paid so I can put the kids in day care
and go back to work. It's a never-end-
ing situation."
JFS will provide transportation serv-
ices and help to find housing, pay rent
and utility payments, get food stamps
and help with medical bills.
But time is working against Levin-
Byrd.
Her father's neighbors have been
complaining about the noise coming
from his efficiency apartment.
"They're all seniors here and chil-
dren aren't supposed to be here. I'm
concerned they're trying to evict my
dad," Levin-Byrd said. "I call every
day to see if there are any shelters
available. If there were, we would be
out of here." 111

To help Marla Levin-Byrd, call
(248) 967-2665 or write to her
do Michael Levin, 15100 W. 10
Mile, Apt. 508, Oak Park, MI
48237.

