Meet the MacLaren Family Family First The ripple effects of the tragic terrorist attack that struck our nation on September 11, 2001 left few Americans untouched. Now, years later, one family is finally recovering from the inescapable repercussions that left them jobless and homeless. Dennis MacLaren is an artist and family man. Evidence of his talent and passion adorns the walls and shelves of his new home, many of which feature his family. For Dennis, like many, to profit from his passion epitomized the "American Dream," a realistic goal for the talented artist. In the meantime, pending his big break, Dennis loved his job framing lavish artwork, allowing him to hone his art skills in a less traditional style – by complementing someone else's masterpiece. He had a great job, and combined with his wife Christine's earnings at a local restaurant, the couple and their three children lived comfortably in their Kissimmee home. However, a quiet crisis swept across the nation immediately following 9/11, and frivolities took a backseat to newfound preoccupations with security. Gripped with fear, many people stayed home, leading to a diminishing demand for extravagant services, such as pricey framing projects. As the economy slowed, small business owners posted closed signs, and lay-offs became disturbingly common. The deteriorating job market did not pass by the MacLaren house. Both Chris and Dennis soon found themselves unemployed, with few available opportunities. For more than three years, convinced the hardship would pass, Chris and Dennis worked odd jobs, falling further and further behind on their mortgage and sharing an increasingly unreliable car. Finally, they grudgingly acknowledged that they were losing their home. With Dennis scouring for work, a pregnant Chris explored every imaginable option to aide their worsening situation: negotiating with the mortgage company, trying her own hand at salvaging their car, and putting in phone calls to social service organizations. The latter was the toughest. Try as she might, the mom of now four children kept getting the same answer: no homeless shelter could accommodate her family without splitting them. Staying at hotels and with friends, the MacLarens were fast running out of money. Finally, a Good Samaritan tipped her off to the Coalition for the Homeless. "I showed up at the front desk in tears," Chris remembers. "I said, 'I have my husband and four kids and nowhere to go.'" "This family, no matter what, is staying together," Dennis added. A long-awaited stroke of good luck graced the downtrodden family, and they were assigned the only available family room at the Center for Women and Families (CWF), vacated that morning. Originally viewed as a last resort, seeking help from the Coalition turned out to be a chance to rebuild their lives, once again turn passion into a career, and reinforce and stabilize an afflicted family. "I took the opportunity at that time to go back to school through the LifeStrides Adult Education program," said Dennis. "I took the 3-D Animation classes at Orlando Tech. After graduation, my internship at Channel 9 turned into a job offer as a Digital Animator." The three school age children, Ian, Megan and Ryan, found help working through their own trials and tribulations with through counseling provided by the Coalition's Child Development Program. All three adjusted well to their new schools, and Christine found a job nearby as a waitress. Activities at the Coalition, such as the Art By Coalition Children (ABCs) program, helped the kids settle in and provided a creative outlet. Ian, now 14, discovered an affinity for digital photography. Megan, 11, feels the artistic blood in her veins and often creates dioramas and sketches. All four children are happy, vibrant and energetic, and no traces of their hardships remain. Their case-managed plan soon moved the family into a transitional apartment, regaining precious family time, and back into the community shortly thereafter, with initial rental assistance from the Coalition's Scattered Site Housing Program. Finally able to retrieve their belongings after years of storage, the family is content. "And I'm using my art skills again!" Dennis exclaimed with a little jump and big smile. At a loss for words, the message is still clear: the MacLaren family is once again home.