“The stereotype of homeless people is that of using drugs or alcohol, or having a criminal record or something worse. But none of that was our circumstance. I never expected to be homeless, but when my husband had an accident at work, our lives changed completely. He lost all use of his right arm, and his employer fought against paying for the surgery he badly needed. We stayed with my sister for a time but we couldn’t stay for long. When we were accepted into the program with St. Stephen Housing, I told my husband this is God showing us that we are not alone.
Without St. Stephen’s, I don’t know where we would be right now. I knew I needed to go back to school because I didn’t know if my husband would ever be able to work again. I enrolled in school and finished my GED. I’m now studying to be an ultrasound technician. Thankfully, my husband was able to have the surgery for his arm, but will never fully recover. We recently moved into permanent housing, and while we are happy here, someday we want to move again because our real goal is to buy our own house.”