Rebuilding a stable foundation is key, and not just for the Blomgrens. The home they’re living in was a foreclosed property that sat empty for about a year. The Journey Home acquired it through a federal grant called the Neighborhood Stabilization Program or NSP. Grant recipients can use NSP funds to tear down vacant homes if they wish, but most have chosen to either repair and resell the properties to low-income families, or use them to house the homeless as the Murfreesboro charity chose to do.

“Living next door to a foreclosed upon property can have an almost viral effect on the neighborhood, dragging down the values of the surrounding properties,” said Brian Sullivan, a spokesperson for U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, which administers the program.

“The purpose is to stabilize neighborhoods that have really experienced the hardest problems with the foreclosure crisis," he said. "The first round of funding, nearly four billion dollars, is out the door. It is fully obligated by communities and they’re putting those funds to work right now.”

The Blomgrens know how lucky they were to find shelter for themselves, much less a place that would allow them to keep their pets. Brad says the Journey Home staff were understanding of their concerns, both large and small.

“They were so gracious. They always treated us like we were precious," he said. "They always treated us like we were important. They never talked down to us. They never judged us.”