Sarah knows what it’s like to be homeless. She lived it for 11 years. As a child, time in foster care, early addiction, and generational barriers presented daunting hurdles. She dreamed of stability. Ask Sarah and she’ll tell you what it’s like to dig out of a “dark hole.”
And – she’ll tell you about her two and a half years at Family Life Services that altered the trajectory of her life.
Though she’d been sober for 6 years when her daughter was born, Sarah knew nothing of the resources available to help her. Then they lost their apartment.
“Everything I owned was in my car. I was working so hard and only wanted to take care of my daughter, but I didn’t know where to turn. I was eager to do anything – I just needed a little bit of help.”
While Sarah and her 2 year-old lived in a hotel, Catholic Charities offered a lifeline. Family Life Services and Catholic Charities partner through our city’s Family Solutions Collaborative that serves vulnerable neighbors like Sarah. Through a providentially-timed meeting, both staffs linked arms. Soon, Sarah and her little girl moved into an apartment on the FLS campus. Hear her powerful words:
“I didn’t want to stay where I was. Because of FLS and the other resources around me, I was able to move out of survival mode and into stability. FLS gave me the space to breathe.
It gave me stability when I didn’t have it and a safe place to figure out my plan. I didn’t have to worry about where we were going to sleep, and that allowed me to think clearly and move forward.
“When I became a single mom, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to do it alone. I didn’t know what resources existed or where to even start. I had no idea about childcare assistance like CCAP or CPCD.
“I’ve learned parenting skills and have connected to so many resources as staff have walked beside me to help me stay focused on my goals. They gave me the support and tools I needed to build a different future for my daughter and me.”
Sarah’s bright new future includes her educational, financial, and spiritual flourishing. Eager to lay hold of all opportunities available to her, she accessed a grant to attend college, her high grades earning her a spot on the Dean’s List. She maintains a rewarding job at a doctor’s office where increased income and the crucial budgeting skills honed at FLS have opened new doors to confidence.
“I bought a car all on my own!” she shares proudly. And Sarah’s faith has been transformed. Admittedly angry at God while in the “dark hole” of homelessness, she softened to His love as her new support system met her gently in her trauma. She witnessed that God is for her. She embraces this now, thriving within the authentic faith circle of her church home, Wayfarer Chapel, and in Women of Courage, FLS’ continuation program for single moms.
Sarah has now launched from the FLS campus into permanent, affordable housing. She is the dignified, stable head of her household, equipped to meet her family’s challenges. She donates her time serving others who are struggling and is a luminous example of a hard-working single mom who just needed a chance. Thanks to support like yours, she received that – and so much more – in the life-changing refuge of FLS.