“Home of Hope Means a Second Chance”: Checking In with Alexia

Before Home of Hope, Alexia felt very alone.

“I was coming from a really unstable situation, including being in a domestic violence shelter, and I was trying to figure out how to move forward for myself and my son,” Alexia explained.

“There was a lot of uncertainty and stress.” 

The shelter where Alexia lived before Home of Hope provided some support but lacked the resources and the structure she needed to build a future for herself and her young son.

She’d taken the brave step to leave an unsafe situation at home, but she was still depressed, parenting alone and in desperate need of help to progress forward. 

Then she moved into Home of Hope.

Her time at Home of Hope wasn’t always easy, but as she reflects on it, she’s grateful for the support and care that shaped her into the woman she is now.

“For most people, when they first come into the program, they probably think — like what I thought — that there are a lot of rules and regulations. And they don’t think about the fact that the rules are there to make sure that you prosper,” Alexia said. 

“As I learned to live with everybody and abide by the rules, I realized that they were all there to make sure you’re at your best.”

In 2022, Alexia graduated from Home of Hope. Four years later, she’s still thriving!

“Now, I have stability, a clearer direction and a much stronger sense of security. I’m no longer just trying to get through each day; I’m actually building a future!” she said.

Her son is now eight years old and excelling in school. Alexia earned a Class B CDL to become a bus driver, and she’s no longer doing life alone.

“I’m engaged and had a baby in December of 2023,” she shared. “We live in New Jersey in a two-bed, two-bath home, plus we have two vehicles. I’m doing very well financially and mentally.”

Even though she’s building her own life outside Home of Hope, Alexia still applies the tools she gathered there.

“One of the biggest things I learned at Home of Hope was how to manage my money and really understand where it was going. That’s something I was never truly taught before,” Alexia said. “I still save and budget as if I were still there, although I have way bigger bills now than just a phone bill!”

As she looks back on her time at Home of Hope, she thinks of the staff and the volunteers who showered her and her son with love.

“They were patient, understanding and genuinely cared. They also held me accountable,” Alexia explained. “I see now that all they wanted was for me to succeed and prosper, and that has made a lasting difference in my life.”

To mothers looking for a safe home or to donors or volunteers looking to help out, Alexia wants them to know “that Home of Hope is more than just a shelter.

“It’s a place where people are given real tools, support and a genuine chance to rebuild their lives.”

But these tools and support have done more for Alexia than just help her find a job or a place to live.

“They showed me that my past didn’t define me and that I was still capable of doing better and moving forward. They taught me that it’s okay to accept help and use it as a stepping stone,” she shared.

“Home of Hope meant a second chance for me.”