The city of Detroit has stepped up in a major way for a mother grieving the deaths of her children. As previously reported, Tateona Williams‘ youngest and eldest kids passed away earlier this month inside a cold car. At the time, the family was struggling with unstable housing and had reached out for help but hadn’t had any luck. Now, the city and a local nonprofit are teaming up to prevent a repeat of this tragedy.
RELATED: Prayers Up! Two Detroit Kids Pass Away In Cold Car After Months Without A Stable Home
Detroit Rallies Around Grieving Mother
Less than a month later, the city and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries collaborated to help the mother and her two living children secure a home. The nonprofit focuses on combating food security and homelessness and providing addiction treatment. This update came via a video both entities posted on social media. In its Instagram caption, Detroit urged its community to rally around the mother and her kids.
“Our hearts continue to be with the Williams and Currie families as we stand by them, offering our love and compassion. While nothing can truly ease their loss, the gift of a new home represents a pivotal step forward for both their family and our community. Detroit, let us unite in support.”
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Meanwhile, the video shows Tateona Williams hugging and accepting keys from Chad Audi, the nonprofit’s president and CEO. It also shows the Detroit mother touring her new home, which was furnished, freshly painted, and had renovated floors. The nonprofit and city also provided kids games and food for their fridge and pantry.
“We can’t do nothing to compensate for the loss of your kids, but it’s at least a good start to cope with the situation that she’s been through,” Chad said.
A Recap Of What Happened To Tateona’s Two Kids
Two-year-old Amillah Currie and nine-year-old Darnell Currie lived in a van with their mom, three other kids, and another adult. Tateona had parked the vehicle in the garage of a local casino about an hour after midnight on Monday, February 10. At some point in the cold night, the van reportedly ran out of gas. Hours later, Tateona noticed that Amillah and Darnell were unresponsive and called someone for help transporting them to a hospital. Unfortunately, the children did not survive.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan later confirmed that the mother had sought housing help from the city in November. However, a lack of communication on both ends led to unresolved struggles.
“For whatever reason, this wasn’t deemed an emergency that caused an outreach worker to visit the family. … As far as we’ve been able to determine so far, the family never called back again for service,” the mayor said.
That same week, the Detroit mother also spoke out. She admitted to feeling like she was dying inside. “It feel like my heart is breaking, and I have two more kids to live for,” Tateona Williams said. “And I regret having to sleep out there so bad. I tell them I’m sorry, but I tried.”
