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CheckoutCeleste had just finished her shift at the factory when she received a frantic call from a neighbor. It took her a moment to register what he was telling her: “Your house is on fire! You better get here right away!” Panicking, she sped through rush-hour traffic to arrive at a devastating scene: fire trucks blocked the entry to the cul-de-sac where she lived. Beyond the trucks she could see the smoking ruin of her home. A moment later, a school bus pulled up, and Jalen, her thirteen-year-old, hopped off. Mercifully, the bus had been running behind schedule.
Celeste and her three children lost almost everything in the fire – everything except her car, a phone, and a few hampers of dirty clothes. However, nothing could have prepared Celeste for the housing crisis she had fallen into.