As a young 29-year-old single parent of 3 children, Brittany has overcome numerous obstacles in her life.  She has overcome domestic violence on two different occasions and has been struggling with homelessness for 6+ years. Brittany is optimistic, despite all she’s been through, and has tried to live her life in a way that supports her continued growth and uses it to build positive character.  To protect her children, Brittany has been in and out of shelters. To keep her “sanity,” Brittany keeps a journal to document every event in her life. She constantly rereads her own words to remind herself that she is an overcomer and can courageously go through whatever comes her way. Today, Brittany feels she is on the right path.  Her endurance and courage stabilize her and her children.  She no longer accepts negative people or influences to stop her from reaching her goals. I truly admire her resilience and courage to persevere and how she strives to hold on to her faith and hopes for a brighter future! – Brittany’s Self-Sufficiency Coach

Donna is a single mother of 4 children. I’ve worked with Donna for a few years now; I have seen her deal with things in her life that most people don’t have to face. Donna is a survivor of extreme domestic violence, and after over a year of battles, she is still trying to remove herself from the legal bindings that tie her to her trauma. Despite all that she’s been through, Donna has shown courage by being an excellent mother to her children, going back to school, and achieving her Bachelor’s in Nursing, and she is now a registered nurse. During the pandemic, Donna has been working closely with patients. In Spring 2020, she contracted COVID-19. After making a full recovery, she returned to work and has continued to work with some of the most high-risk populations. Donna shows courage by fighting every single day: she fights for her children, she fights COVID-19, and she fights for what she believes in. Her heart shows courage to keep going, keep giving, and keep loving no matter what you’ve gone through. She exhibits everything it means to be a courageous, single, mother of color raising her children to love and care for others. – Donna’s Case Manager

Courage is often seen as taking a stand or helping others. However, day in and day out, I have seen what courage looks like when observing my client, Aysha. Aysha has struggled with housing discrimination and a failed housing system for many, many years now. She has worked countless hours to pay her bills and maintains being an amazing mother to her two daughters. After hearing disheartening news about relocations, I watched as she felt defeated, and then I witnessed her courage come to life. She did the most courageous thing someone, especially a woman of color, can do in this society: she asked for help. She reached out to countless agencies and organizations, researched housing options, and spoke to anyone who would listen about her situation. Although she has not been successful yet with housing, she has advocated for herself at work and found a therapist for support to deal with everything she is going through and has dealt with. She perseveres and has to move forward, ask for help, and fight the battles that one has every day. – Aysha’s Stabilization Mentor