"She continually found ways to ensure that she was still caring for her children and was always so quick to update me on any little bit of progress she made without me ever needing to ask for an update." 

A mom (we will call her Lisa) of three kids (13, 11, and 8) was formerly a resident at Gateway Woods. Unfortunately, Lisa’s marriage got to the point that she needed to make an incredibly difficult decision to take her kids and leave her abusive husband.  Once she had made her decision, there was only enough time for each of them to grab about a week’s worth of clothes before leaving their home. Once everyone was packed up in the car, Lisa drove to her grandma’s house where she and her kids were able to stay temporarily.

Quickly after getting herself and her kids settled at her grandma’s house, Lisa reached out to Gateway Woods because she knew that she would always be able to find support at Gateway Woods. That’s when her information was passed along to me, as a LARC Coordinator, to step into the situation and start discerning what the needs were and how to best support her. Lisa immediately started looking for a job close to her grandma’s house due to not having a car. She took a job at a McDonald’s knowing that it wasn’t enough money or hours but also knowing that some income is better than no income.

As I learned more about Lisa and her situation, I became increasingly impressed with her because she didn’t use her situation to make excuses. Overall, she stayed positive while acknowledging the stress and hardship of her situation. She thrifted clothes for her kids, worked with her grandparents to find a vehicle, found an income-based apartment to pursue, and started thrifting everything from kitchen utensils to dressers before she even secured the apartment. She continually found ways to ensure that she was still caring for her children and was always so quick to update me on any little bit of progress she made without me ever needing to ask for an update. All of this was impressive to me because she was demonstrating through her actions that she had “skin in the game” and this isn’t always the case when working with clients in crisis – I never once felt like she had an attitude of entitlement or that she was expecting a handout.

Ultimately, Gateway Woods used the Partnership Assistance Fund to help with some clothes for the kids, pay for the security deposit for the apartment, and furnish necessities for the apartment that she was unable to thrift.

Lisa’s story is a reminder that hope often grows through small, steady steps. Her determination to keep moving forward for her children says a lot about her strength and character. It was a privilege to come alongside her in this difficult season and witness her example of resilience.