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Sweet ending to tough road for Detroit family gifted a home
A heartwarming story out of Detroit unfolded on Thursday when a family living in a homeless shelter was gifted a home from the city. LaTaeya Crowder, 14, told her story on FOX 2 in recent weeks, which included overcoming the struggle of living without a home while excelling in school. City officials saw the segment and made moves to get her and her family into a house of their own. The surprise was revealed on McKinstry Street Thursday afternoon.
(FOX 2) - A heartwarming story out of Detroit unfolded on Thursday when a family living in a homeless shelter was gifted a home from the city.
LaTaeya Crowder, 14, told her story on FOX 2 in recent weeks, which included overcoming the struggle of living without a home while excelling in school. City officials saw the segment and made moves to get her and her family into a house of their own.
The surprise was revealed on McKinstry Street Thursday afternoon.
‘These are happy tears’
While LaTaeya was in the dark about the surprise waiting for her, her mom was not.
What they're saying:
"So happy, I want to thank everyone that helped. I am very appreciative. This house is beautiful," said LaTonya, LaTaeya's mom. "I'm glad my children have a home now."
Speaking through tears, LaTonya said it was "breathtaking" getting to sign a lease to the house.
"Everything was put to rest and it was over. Everything — staying in a shelter, everything. I was so glad. So glad to be home," she said.
Lataeya Crowder, her mom LaTonya, and the family in their new home.
Lataeya told FOX 2 within a few minutes she had her room picked out.
From Homeless to Valedictorian
The backstory:
Lataeya Crowder joined FOX 2's Detroit Talk City to discuss her journey toward becoming her school's valedictorian.
The 14-year-old earned the title after finishing eighth grade at the top of her class. She has since been accepted to Detroit's Cass Technical High School — all while living with her family in a homeless shelter.
She told Charlie Langton about her love of school, that she studies regularly, and has needed to overcome housing instability.
She described living in a shelter as difficult because of the limited privacy and restrictions on sound, as well as challenges around transportation and finding a secure internet connection.
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Detroit Talk City | Mark Hackel & Lataeya Crowder
A 14 year-old student is making headlines for being a valedictorian. She joins Charlie Langton on Detroit Talk City to discuss her inspiring story. Plus Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel joins Charlie Langton to discuss the state of the county and what can be do to make improvements to the area.
She said her mom has had financial struggles in the past and broke her foot, adding to the issues.
"We're not really allowed to go places without our parents and a lot of kids are used to being able to walk around at least in their house without their parents, so the, the hard that was probably the hardest part for me," she said.
So, instead, she studied.
The Source: Live coverage from the city of Detroit and previous reporting was cited for this story.