A Detroit mother of two is distraught after having to make arrangements to bury her children after they died from something that was preventable in America. In fact, the mother claims she sought city assistance to save their life but to no avail.
Tateona Williams, 29, told FOX 2 Detroit with tears down her face that she and her five kids were sleeping in a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan earlier this month when tragedy struck. The report says she resorted to the vehicle for shelter for the past three months after being unable to receive help from Detroit’s Coordinated Assistance Model. The agency is a referral system to help unhoused people find “fair and equitable way to housing,” per the website. She also tried the city’s homeless solutions agency, hotels and other acquaintances.
However, her efforts were unsuccessful and with a brutal winter approaching, her options were running out.
“And every time I call they said they don’t have a bed, they don’t have family beds,” she said via FOX, adding that the number of children led her to be turned away.
She said she also tried contacting her children’s father, Darnell Currie Sr., but he allegedly gave her an excuse as to why he couldn’t house the children. Despite her claims, Currie gave a tearful interview to WXYZ explaining that he was only asked to watch his kids but was never told why or the fact they were homeless.
“She just asked can I get ‘em for a couple days, but I told her I’m working and all that and I’m out here. We’re not close to each other. So, I couldn’t, but she knows all my family is right around the corner from her,” said Currie to ABC 7 News.
Unfortunately, Williams’ efforts to save her children herself came at a heartbreaking cost. Williams told local reporters Sunday evening, the van had run out of gas and turned off at some point as the family slept. When she woke up Monday morning, she discovered her 2-year-old and 9-year-old were not breathing. The two children were pronounced dead at the hospital. The report says a medical examiner is still determining their cause of death but police suspect freezing temperatures contributed to the incident. Weather reports say Sunday evening’s forecast was a low of 22 degrees.
Mayor Mike Duggan called for a review of the Detroit outreach program for homelessness after discovering Williams’ story. He said in a press conference that just down the road, a shelter with available beds was open but with a lack of outreach teams, it was likely no one could connect Williams to the facility. The mayor’s review will take two weeks to complete, per the report.
In the meantime, Williams’ family organized a GoFundMe to help the mother get on her feet and preserve the lives of her remaining children. It’s unclear where she is taking shelter now.