Breonna’s life came crashing down when she went from working two jobs to finding herself without a car and without a home. Facing the reality of unemployment and staying at family members’ homes, she felt like a burden to those around her. Breonna knew she had to make a drastic change and contacted Monroe County Department of Human Services, which placed her at the VOA Guest House Family Shelter.
VOA provided Breonna and her children with clothing, having arrived with only the clothes on their backs. They were given their own private bedroom, support services with on-site case management, children activities, healthy meals, transportation to school, and assistance finding a job and permanent housing.
“I was nervous, because at the end of the day, I’ve never been in this type of situation,” explained Breonna. “People were extremely welcoming. They gave us blankets, made sure we had our hygiene items, they showed us around and everything seemed so together at that moment.”
Breonna completed training to be a school bus driver while staying at VOA, and is also going back to nursing school. Today, Breonna and her children are living in their own place. She not only left VOA with stability and the tools needed to thrive, but also lasting emotional support and personal connections.
“This isn’t just an organization, this is more of a family,” she shares reflecting on her experience with VOA. “I’m extremely humble and grateful… I can’t speak for a lot of other people, but I can definitely speak for me and my family, that I’m glad I made the move that I did.”