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In emergency shelter, kids fret about school

By Tonya Jameson tjameson@charlotteobserver.com Posted: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009       When school starts on Tuesday, Sierra will be a senior. This is her time to tour colleges, giggle about prom and stress about graduation.   But Sierra's senior year wasn't supposed to start like this:   Living in an emergency shelter.   Sharing one room with her mom and sister.   Worried about whether she can afford college – any college.   “I know I should be happy because it's my last year,” said Sierra, sitting in the day care room of the shelter. “I've been struggling.”   Sierra and her family live at Charlotte Emergency Housing. She is one of nearly 3,000 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools who are considered homeless. When these students go to school Tuesday some might catch the bus in front of a cheap …


One family truly thankful for the roof over their heads

BRUNSWICK COUNTY | After living in a camper doomed for the dump, Tina Mattoon is thankful she doesn’t have to sleep next to the toilet anymore. That’s because on Tuesday, she moved into a three-bedroom mobile home with her four daughters. Even with no food, this Thanksgiving will be one to remember. And now, she can choose from two bathrooms. With doors. “I’m happy to be in a home,” said Mattoon, who became homeless when her roommate kicked her and her children out. “I don’t have anything for Thanksgiving, but I have a house. That’s all that matters.” Mattoon, a former waitress-turned-Bojangles’ worker, is part of a growing number of people losing their homes because of the slumping economy. Last year, 67 families were homeless in Brunswick County, said Joe Cannon, executive director of Brunswick Family Assistance Agency, a figure …