SISTERS STAND STRONG TOGETHER
Thanks To Your Support – Sisters Stand Strong Together
“We can do it. I know we can do it.”
Sisters Cathy and Patty would say these words to lift each other’s spirits during their darkest days. Homeless for several years, the sisters were dealing with ongoing health issues, unemployment, and poverty. But their close bond and faith would not allow them to give up.
In 2006, the sisters selflessly offered to move in and care for their ailing parents. When their father died in 2011 followed by their mother the following year, they were forced out of their home with nowhere to go. To make matters worse, Patty had a disability and Cathy had recently lost her job. They were in a downward spiral with no end in sight.
“It felt like we were in a tornado and couldn’t get out,” said Cathy. “But we had each other, and we picked each other up. It was very hard, but we kept moving forward.”
Cathy arranged for her cat Tuffie to stay with a friend until they could find a new home. The sisters pooled money for motels whenever possible, but often had to sleep on the streets. They stayed for a short time at a co-ed shelter, but didn’t feel safe. They relocated briefly to Texas, and moved back to California at the promise of living with a friend, but nothing lasted. In August 2018, they heard about SAFEPlace, the emergency shelter program at WISEPlace.
“We were skeptical at first, but then I looked around and thought, wow,” recalled Patty. “Everyone was so helpful and nice, and we felt 100% safer being in a women’s shelter. People were there to help us whenever we needed it. I really appreciated that.”
While at SAFEPlace, Patty adopted a cat, Sophia, that was owned by a woman at the shelter who had passed away. Both sisters love animals and welcomed Sophia with open arms.
Thanks to your support, WISEPlace was able to provide Cathy and Patty with support services and worked with community partners to secure rental assistance, vouchers, and application fees. In February 2020, after experiencing homelessness for seven years, Cathy and Patty, along with their beloved cats Sophia and Tuffie, moved into their own townhome.
“We walked in and felt it immediately. This is home. We have our own bedrooms and bathroom and there’s a creek and wildlife right outside our door – it’s so peaceful. This is our home and we never want to leave.”
Cathy and Patty are so grateful for the help they received and give back by donating a portion of their rideshare fees to ending homelessness. They continue to think of the women who are still at the shelter and want to do all they can to help them find a place to call home.
Giving back and paying it forward. These sisters truly have hearts of gold.
Thanks to YOUR support, Cathy and Patty are Home.
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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