From Homelessness to Hope

From Homelessness to Hope: How WLP Helped Ashley Rebuild Stability

Ashley, a Community Bridges client, called after recently starting to work for CBI. Ashley was living in her car with her two nephews after gaining custody of them when her sister passed away. She had unexpectedly lost her housing in December. A neighborhood shelter had places for them, but only for 60 days. After that, the car was their home.

She was having trouble navigating the different affordable housing programs in Arizona, and was not getting much support from her assigned caseworker from the shelter. Ashley was very stressed and nervous about staying in the car any longer with the children.

I sent her several resource leads that, unfortunately, did not yield results. At our check in call, she expressed gratitude that WLP was following up with her, as she had not had that experience with other organizations. We discussed her housing situation, and I emphasized the importance of finding a place that was within her budget for the long term. At this point, Ashely and her nephews had gotten back into the shelter, so she at least had some breathing room. We agreed to talk again at the end of the week to see if there was anything more WLP could do to support her.

When I contacted Ashley today, she said she’d found permanent housing for herself and the boys beginning the following week. She is extremely relieved and optomistic now that she has a safe place to live and a stable job that she enjoys.

I thought this story exemplified that though we might not always have the ideal resources to send a client, WLP’s personal, one-on-one support helps them feel seen and heard. That extra bit of hope and support can make a huge difference for them.