Danielle went from being homeless and pregnant to providing a healthy home for her baby girl, Nadia. Read how the Residential Program’s new expedited program helped Danielle become self-sufficient in just 13 months… her story will inspire you!
Danielle is a young woman with a generous nature and a bright future. She is thriving at her job, and she and her daughter Nadia just moved into their very first apartment, full of sun and light and Nadia’s happy giggles.
Danielle has come a long way since finding herself homeless and pregnant at 18. During nine months of pregnancy, she slept in 11 different places, including a cold mailroom floor downtown. She applied for job after job, but no one wanted to hire a pregnant teen.
When a friend told her about Hope House, Danielle was skeptical — but desperate to find a way to build a stable life for her baby girl. She entered the Residential Program guarded because in her experience, nobody was what they seemed — and even family didn’t stick with you.
However, as the months passed and trust was built, Danielle began to believe that real relationships were possible and that she could change her future.
Recently Danielle spoke at a Hope House event and shared her gratitude for the help she received with school, employment and life skills. However, the most powerful moment came as she shared about finding her faith and realizing she will never be truly alone again.
With over 100 calls for housing each year, the stack of applications for Danielle’s now-empty room at Hope House is literally five inches deep. Knowing we must find a way to meet more of the need, and limited by space, Hope House began piloting a shortened version of the Residential Program.
I am excited to report that Danielle is the third teen mom in the last year to finish the program in 13 months, down from an average of 18 months! This more intensive program does increase our costs because more girls will go through the initial phase this year, which requires more resources and staff time. However, it is successfully moving more teen moms into self-sufficiency.
To make these changes permanent, we need to raise $30,000 by September 15th. With your help, more teen moms like Danielle will have an opportunity to break out of poverty and provide a home full of sun and light for their little one.
Sincerely,
Lisa Steven
Founder & Executive Director
