“You have to keep looking forward and focus on the positives.” Although Aaran’s life has been difficult, she reminds herself of that mantra and what she has gone through to get to where she is. She has difficulty talking about what led to her incarceration in 2018 and what led to her homelessness after being […]
In Summer 2023, Teresa was excited to share her story and her hope for a brighter future. Teresa was working hard with New Hope Housing’s Operation Stream Shield program multiple days a week and had just landed a job with United Airlines. Although she was working hard and planning for the future, she had not […]
Dawn and Ed have been together for 15 years and can’t imagine being apart for even one day. When they first sought shelter, they learned they didn’t qualify as a family because they don’t have children with them. A bed for a woman was open, but none for men at the time. Separate or stay […]
Teresa has been through a lot. In 2019, she lost her husband. While still grieving, the COVID pandemic began, upsetting everything in the world. Depression set in and she became homeless not long after. Everyone around her now will tell you that, somehow, Teresa is still one of the most positive people they’ve met. Read […]
Ms. Jessamin said having 3 strokes and ending up in the hospital was a “wake-up call” that has helped her focus on the things that are most important in life. At the time she had already lost a job that she loved due to the pandemic and started a new job in a new city […]
Ms. Thompson was in shock. Her husband of 30 years had just abandoned her at her sister’s place, never to be seen again. That event began a two-year period of instability and homelessness at age 55. Her faith, and learning to find something to be thankful for every day, helped her through every challenge. Read […]
Kevin showed up at Bailey’s Shelter in 2020 because that’s where his probation officer told him to go. He was 60 years old and thought that going to a shelter was “rock bottom.” Even when he had suffered from addiction and spent time in jail as a younger man, there was always someone to help […]
When COVID shut down the barbershop where he worked, Troy Clark was worried, but said he still had hope. “Experience-driven hope” he calls it. Because what he has been through taught him that hope and hard work can lead to a better life. Troy first came to the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter in 2017 after 12 […]
2020 was a difficult year for many of us mentally. But one shelter guest told us it was the year she was finally able to manage her mental health challenges and succeed. Ms. T. began experiencing symptoms of depression in 2009. At the time, she was an IT professional, enjoying her life in Arlington. She […]
Ms. Naaz Farooqi was scared to go to shelter. Even as she fell further into debt while trying to take care of her children, she refused. Even COVID seemed to scare her less than shelter. She had heard “horrific things about shelters” and was dead set against going to one at her age. But everything […]
