Thanks to your immense generosity, we did it! We raised enough money in eight days to cover all of the damages and necessary repairs associated with our flooded well house and the fallen tree that damaged two of our families' cars. (If you missed the story of our very bad week, you can read about it on our blog.)
Your support, both in times of need and when things are running smoothly, allows us to continue serving families like Sabona's, whose story we shared in our Annual Report. We're sharing her story again today as a reminder of the real people your donations and volunteer hours help us serve.
Sabona and her three daughters were evicted from their rental home in 2014. Even though Sabona was working in environmental services for a local hospital, she fell behind on her bills as she tried to reestablish her life after leaving an abusive relationship.
After living with a friend for a year, Sabona and her daughters found Family Promise and moved through the emergency shelter and transitional housing programs before spending the last two years in New Lease on Life, which places them in an apartment complex at a reduced rate.
Her children felt so welcome in the churches that housed them through the emergency shelter program that her daughters, now 16, 12 and eight, did not initially want to leave.
“God helped me get here,” Sabona said. “(Without Family Promise), I’d probably still be homeless, going from place to place. Could have lost my children. Could have lost my job. It’s a blessing that I didn’t.”
“(At the churches) they listened to the children. They made us feel welcome,” she said. “They just did things I thought no one else would do. They opened up the churches and let us come in, strangers they didn’t even know.”
Still, she knew her daughters needed stability. They progressed through Family Promise and have now moved into their own three-bedroom apartment having successfully completed New Lease on Life.Sabona credits the parenting and budgeting classes offered by Family Promise with helping her reach this point of independence. Support and encouragement from the staff have been important to her success, she said.
“God helped me get here,” Sabona said. “(Without Family Promise), I’d probably still be homeless, going from place to place. Could have lost my children. Could have lost my job. It’s a blessing that I didn’t.”
From the staff and Board of Trustees at Family Promise, thank you.