Lighting the Path to Personal Stability
“When you’re living in your car, it’s a constant struggle to accomplish basic things that many people take for granted, like sleeping, eating, showering, and laundry. Every day is a fight to survive when you’re homeless.” – Amber
Amber is no stranger to surviving on the streets. For 7 years, she had been in and out of homelessness following several traumatic events that included the tragic loss of her young son, a divorce, and a series of toxic relationships. These traumas began a snowball effect that ultimately caused her to lose her job, car, and housing.
Amber’s breaking point finally came after a domestic violence incident. She fled to an emergency shelter, but knew she had to make permanent changes and rebuild her life. She had heard about WISEPlace and reached out for help. This decision was the start of a new life for Amber!
The immediate challenge was finding her a stable, safe place to stay, as there is typically a waitlist at our WISEPlace shelter. Fortunately, just as Amber needed a room, another participant moved into their own home, thanks to the generous support of donors like YOU! Amber was able to move in to the shelter the next day.
WISEPlace then helped Amber outline her goals and provided her with supportive services, such as therapy and employment assistance. With a safe place to sleep and regular meals, she was able to focus on working short-term jobs while she built her savings and looked for long-term employment and housing. With hard work and determination, she saved enough money to buy a car and attained a full-time job as a storage manager!
On a joyous spring day 9 months after arriving at the shelter, Amber and her roommate, who she also met at WISEPlace, moved into their own apartment together! Through our empowering financial assistance program, WISEPlace helped pay off her debt and provided her security deposit, rental assistance, and furniture for her new home. This would not have been possible without generous donors like YOU!
“I’m so thankful I found WISEPlace, because without you, I don’t where I would be right now. I was willing to do the work, but I didn’t know how or where to start. WISEPlace gave me a soft place to land and the support I needed to stand on my feet again.” – Amber
How can you help?
When you support WISEPlace, you provide safe shelter solutions and empowering wrap-around services to unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness. Donate now to provide a caring community for those who call WISEPlace home.
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