Sandy didn’t know where she was going to sleep that night.
She’d just been told to leave her apartment. Immediately. No warning. No time to figure out a plan. She was suddenly homeless for the first time in her life.
Sandy lives with a genetic mobility disorder. She uses a walker. And standing on the sidewalk that day, she faced the possibility of spending the night on the street.
“I had been given some phone numbers to call, but that was it,” Sandy said. “I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what my next move was. Thankfully, Mission Services was the first number on that list.”
When Sandy called, she learned there was a bed for her at Emma’s Place, Mission Services’ shelter for women. She packed up what she could, grabbed her walker, and made her way there as fast as possible. By the time she arrived, it was pouring rain. She was soaked. She was sobbing.
A staff member welcomed her inside. Got her dry. Got her settled. And the next morning, Sandy sat down to a hot meal.
“I had never been in a shelter before,” Sandy said. “I didn’t know what it would be like, and it was better than I could have imagined. It was safe and warm, and I was finally able to catch my breath and get off my feet.”
Sandy makes a point to thank the different staff members she sees in the shelter during the week. She wants them to know the warmth and support she’s felt since she arrived.
“I don’t know what I would have done if Mission Services wasn’t here,” Sandy said. “I would likely have ended up on the street, and with my condition, I wouldn’t have survived. I’m here today because Mission Services was there for me.”
In the days and weeks that followed, Sandy ate hot meals. She rested. She started to feel like herself again. And she began working with a case worker to find permanent housing that’s both affordable and accessible for her needs.
“I’ll be so sad to leave, but I’m happy to take that next step,” she said. “My life would have looked so different if I had called somewhere else.”
This is what giving to Mission Services does.
It gives a woman like Sandy a safe bed on the worst night of her life. It puts a hot meal in front of her the next morning. And it connects her to the support she needs to get back on her feet. Not just shelter. Not just food. But case workers, housing help, and a plan for what comes next.
