June Lloyd, 45, never expected she would need to ask anyone for help. After health issues limited her ability to work, she faced homelessness while caring for her two teenage sons.

In June 2008, Lloyd moved to Seattle from Cleveland by way of Reno, Nev., in search of a better future for herself and her sons, now 15 and 17. Having worked previously as a security guard, she thought she could find work while attending community college to gain business skills.

Not long after arriving, Lloyd's chronic pain worsened and she was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Unable to work, she lived off her savings until they ran out. Because she had two teenage sons, she had fewer options in finding emergency housing. They lived in various apartments with other people and in hotel rooms, and they spent a few nights living in a rented moving van.

In May, Lloyd began going to Mary's Place, a day center for women run by the Church of Mary Magdalene in Seattle that provided her with daily hotel vouchers. She spent the daytime hours at the shelter making phone calls for services. Her sons spent the days attending Cleveland High School and Aki Kurose Middle School Academy. They spent the evenings together at various hotels throughout the city.

In June, Lloyd found an apartment in Auburn that she believed she could afford through income from child support from her sons' father. Donations from the International District Housing Alliance, the Salvation Army and Mary's Place assisted her with the initial deposit needed to move in. In August, Lloyd decided that rent at the Auburn apartment was too expensive and moved her family into a studio apartment in Burien with cheaper rent. Lloyd is continuing treatment for her fibromyalgia. Her sons will both be attending Cleveland High School in the fall.