McKinney Moms Group Rallies To Help Mom In Need

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MCKINNEY (CBS11) - You can always count on Mom, and a group of determined moms is even better.

That's what one McKinney woman found just as she was about to be homeless and separated from her own child.

When Tanya Vieira and her son ended up at the Value Place extended stay hotel a few weeks ago, money was already tight.

Then when she found herself unable to pay her bill, the prospect of living in her car led her to post her frustration on a Facebook group. That's when everything changed.

The single mother of a child with autism, Vieira was already struggling. With a disability that leaves her partially deaf, she and her son and her service dog had packed what they could into this hotel room.

"When you're in here, it's a vicious cycle. You know you're spending all your money to pay the room costs and your food, and so you can't really save up for deposits to move anywhere else," Vieira said.

Even worse, this week she came up short on her hotel bill. She had already contacted out-of-state relatives to take in her son and prepared to live out of her car when she posted on a McKinney Moms Facebook group just to vent.

"I was just frustrated, and then that's when people started messaging," Vieira said.

The original post received more than 200 comments. Within a couple of hours she had three offers to pay for her room.

One of those came from Tanya Batt.

"I've struggled over the past couple of years. I had a divorce and just starting completely over on my own. I know exactly where she's coming from," Batt said.

And the offers didn't stop there.

One member of the group happened to be a property manager at an apartment complex and offered to help waive application fees and part of a security deposit.

"That was what shocked me is because I didn't ask them for help, but they stepped in and helped me," Vieira said.

"It's a great feeling that us moms can all come together and help people in situations that need help," Batt said.

Vieira plans to move into her new apartment Friday, and she has already been able to pay it forward.

She introduced the group to another single mom in need at this hotel, and several members have reached out to her as well.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)