It was a sincere and honest question from one mother to another.

Walled Lake Police Sergeant Heather Kolke stopped by the parking lot of Walled Lake Elementary School when a mother suddenly approached her. The woman started asking legal questions, and the police officer was glad to hear her out.

“Is it illegal to sleep in the car in case we have to?” she asked.

“So, of course, I started asking more questions of her and discovered she was going to be sleeping in the car tonight so she could get the kids to school in the morning. They were homeless,” Sgt. Kolke told WXYZ.

As it turned out, Erin Harrison lost their home at that time.

It wasn’t easy for her since she was a single mother raising her twin daughters, and the cost of rent went up. She couldn’t afford it anymore, so she decided they live in their car. She worked at a nearby McDonald’s and planned that they sleep in the car by the school’s parking lot temporarily as she worked on getting long-term housing.

Sgt. Kolke felt this mom’s need, so she excused herself for a minute and made a few phone calls.

The officer herself was a mother, and she couldn’t bear the thought of seeing another mother trying her best to provide for her daughters with no place to live. So, she called her fellow officers and other community members to ask for help.

Erin received all the love the community could give to assist her.

The community found a place where Erin and her daughters, Hayden and Abbigale, could live short-term to give them enough time to sort things out. Others also gave gift cards to gather for their groceries. And for a long-term action plan, a police officer helped Erin find a higher-paying job, and she said she did well during the first interview.

That’s not all. They also have something for the twins.

When Sgt. Kolke learned that the girls were celebrating their birthday soon, Erin already told them that she might not be able to buy them anything or have a celebration for them. The community got it covered as well.

The community donated balloons, cakes, and pizza for the girls.

“Balloons donated by Party City, a cake from Buttercream Bakery. They said their favorite food was Pizza Hut. They donated pizza,” said Sgt. Kolke.

Walled Lake Mayor Linda Ackley felt nothing but pride in her people.

She saw what an entire community could do together if they shared whatever they had. They saved one family that time, which sparked hope in her constituents. Also, she challenged them to help a little more by donating whatever amount they could for their children’s clothing and contributing to their housing.

Even if Erin was working her way to a better house, she still needed help from the people.

As housing costs and other basic needs continued to rise, it looked like a long road for her and her daughters. She selflessly said that all she wanted was to find a place for her daughters to stay and be safe.

Watch how the community came together to give this family a better life.

Source: WXYZ-TV Detroit | Channel 7, WXYZ Detroit, FOX 47