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MEDFORD -- Recently transplanted from Missouri, Elizabeth Rybolt and William Selfridge already felt like their lives were running on fumes when their 1989 International camper rolled to a dead stop near the intersection of West Barnett and South Riverside Avenue just a day after Valentine's Day. Motorists were likely inconvenienced by the big, clunky RV stranded a stone's throw from nearby gas pumps, but the couple felt utterly helpless when their newly acquired home was simply towed away from them and their three children. The couple felt their bad luck with finding permanent housing over the past year might have changed after trading their 2006 Ford Explorer for the 30-year-old RV. Excitement from an upgrade in temporary living quarters however, had given way by Friday afternoon to frustration and a bid for surviving day-to-day. While brainstorming resources from a donated room at America's Best Value INN , the couple wrangled their three stressed-out toddlers and a small menagerie of pets in a room cluttered with all their worldly possessions. Prior to the RV breaking down, their plans were to get to a camping spot in Ashland and “just sit still,” Rybolt said, while awaiting Selfridge’s disability checks to cover registration and insurance payments. After camping on Mount Ashland for a few weeks — first in the Explorer and then the camper — two days in Medford yielded diapers, clothing, food and a gas voucher. “We were almost home free,” Rybolt said. “We’d been down off the mountain for two days and had just left Maslow (Project) with a voucher for $30 of gas. We were really nervous to drive it, but we had been in town for two days and no one had bothered us.” With a damaged battery that required a jump after gas ran out, Rybolt said police were patient, but had to make a decision after no one offered a jump start. “People would say, ‘Gotta get to work, sorry.’ Two minutes of someone’s day would’ve saved us,” she said. “We had just given up our car and this was going to be our home.” The family was forced to pack all their belongings in 20 minutes before a tow truck took their home. “It wasn’t fancy or new, but it had a bed and bunk beds,” Rybolt said. “There was a wood burning stove. It was a perfect little spot for us.” Adding insult to injury, Selfridge was issued a stack of citations. “I think because I got so upset, that’s why they started writing tickets. I got one for breaking down in an intersection, for no displayed tag, insurance, some other stuff. ... I felt like everything fell apart all at once,” said the father. “We had the bill of sale and were told we had 30 days to get registered. We got it three, and it was still February!” Without money to secure registration, insurance and $700 worth of towing bills, the couple were forced to sign the title over in trade for “being allowed to get our stuff off the RV.” The family was offered some donations of clothing and supplies and help toward a few nights in a hotel. You might also like: Here's how you can help this family A stroke of luck for area homeless, Compassion Highway Project volunteers rallied during a recent snowstorm for donations of hotel rooms. By Friday, the couple were confirmed for a full month’s stay. CHP founder Melissa Mayne said that most community members don’t realize the range of circumstances faced by homeless. “Anyone at any time can lose everything, sometimes from situations they can control and sometimes it’s really out of your control,” Mayne said.“You can’t judge because you don’t know how you would respond in that exact moment or situation. If you are able, lend that helping hand, show love and compassion, be understanding. You never know you might be in that situation some day and just pray someone would help you.” Rybolt said the couple, who had to surrender several family pets on Thursday, plan to use their month’s stay to figure out further housing, save money to pay citations and focus on minimizing stress for their three children: 9-month-old Suezette, 18-month-old Samuel and 3-year-old Scarlett. Long term, they hope to one day be on the other side of a story like theirs. “We’re so grateful for Compassion Highway Project. They’ve been helping us maintain a place to stay. We want to eventually get things together and become part of this community,” said the mother. “And we want to be able to give back and join Compassion Highway Project ... to be able to help people they way we’ve been helped.” Reach Medford freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].