One Family’s Story: From a Car to 3 Bedrooms
Callie has courage, that’s for sure. She has spent the last six years raising four beautiful, sweet children, but it’s been a turbulent road.
A loving relationship turned abusive. When Callie realized it wasn’t going to get better, she knew she needed to get herself and her kids out of danger.
Their home was no longer safe. Without anywhere to go, Callie made the impossible choice to move her children out of their apartment.
Four children, all under the age of six, spent their summer nights sleeping in the back seat of their car. Callie hung blankets over the windows for privacy and hardly slept as she spent all night worrying about her children. A few nights when the humidity was unbearable, they spent the night in a 24-hour laundromat.
For weeks, they lived in uncertainty, bouncing between shelters and the car, trying to find somewhere safe. One night as she watched her children sleeping in the backseat, she wondered if she would ever be able to get her family back on solid ground. They were so far from the path she had hoped for, the path she had planned for her children. All she wanted was a safe place for them to call home.
With no family in the state, Callie called the Nursery hoping for some sort of help. The love and support she received was more than she expected. Her children began staying at the Nursery, a warm and welcoming place, and it became the closest thing they had to a home. With a roof over their heads, they received the support and love they desperately needed to help stabilize them during such a traumatic time.
Her babies had a safe and reliable place to spend their days and nights. This gave Callie the chance to start rebuilding. She spent her time securing healthcare, applying for housing, and seeking support for her children to cope with the violence and trauma they had experienced.
With the Nursery by her side, offering guidance and encouragement and advocating on her behalf when needed, Callie’s hard work paid off. She found a modest home that would become their own little haven, a place where she and her children could finally feel safe and secure.
Callie’s eldest child exclaimed, “Mommy got us a house, so now I can go to school!”
Nursery team member Angelina commented “You never forget something like that – every day those words remind me of the power we can have in uplifting families together.”
All four children are enrolled in early education programs and Callie’s oldest just started kindergarten. Callie never lost her sense of humor or her eagerness to keep her kids’ spirits high. She leads her family with joy and their love for each other is unmistakable.
Callie’s family is blossoming.
She hopes they won’t remember the sleepless nights, fear, or uncertainty, but Callie won’t ever forget the compassion, or the realization that once connected to the Nursery, there were so many people in her corner, fighting for her family to succeed.
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