It’s Not a Shelter; It’s a Home

Meet Sophia, a mother of two young children.

Sophia’s story isn’t her own. But it’s one we hear often at Home of Hope.

She represents the young, scared and tired moms who walk through Home of Hope’s doors, the ones brave enough to say, “No more.”

For years, Sophia had gritted her teeth through an unhealthy and unstable situation at home. But one day she hit a breaking point and realized she had to get out.

Yet her decision to step away from that relationship didn’t mean her life completely changed for the better.

For weeks, she and her children stayed on friends’ and family’s couches and in their car.

“I kept thinking, ‘I have to find a job. I have no place to go,’” Sophia said.

Even though her friends and family helped as much as they could, Sophia felt more and more alone. As she lay awake at night, she’d think about her children.

Was she a bad mom for dragging them away from their home? Would they resent her for making them live like this? What if they never found a place to call home?

“I just felt like I couldn’t provide for them,” she explained. “That was the worst feeling in the whole situation.”

She started wondering if she should go back to the unhealthy home she’d left. Maybe at least her kids would have one roof over their heads.

But then her sister heard about Home of Hope.

After a phone call with Renita Pollard, Home of Hope’s director of operations, Sophia decided she would give the shelter a try. Nervous and uncertain, she walked through the doors holding little hands, shoulders slumped.

A few weeks later, the staff could tell a difference, and Sophia could too.

“Without a job and just feeling so much confusion with everything going on, I needed the first month to feel whatever emotions I needed. Then I was able to get a job. That month allowed me to have some stability for a moment after feeling like things wouldn’t ever be stable.”

Through life skills classes and close relationships with Home of Hope staff, Sophia began to believe in herself again. 

“They transformed my way of thinking and gave me the hope and motivation that I am a good mom. I am loved,” she said. “I learned it was okay to ask for help, and it helped that there was a place we could go home to every night, one we could actually call home.” 

Her stay at Home of Hope hasn’t come without bumps in the road, though. The rules and guidelines felt restricting at first, but now she realizes they are helping her build healthy habits that will benefit her and her kids.

As her savings account grows, she’s imagining her own home with a garden and big backyard with a playset for her kids. She’s confident that if she keeps applying what she’s learned, her dream could become a reality. 

“Before, I was just living day by day, going from house to house,” Sophia shared. “Now I feel more structured and stable. I feel like I can stand on my own two feet.”

And that’s thanks to the team at Home of Hope, who reminded her that she has so much strength. Who helped her see she is a good mom.

“It wasn’t a shelter to me; it was a home that gave me hope for a brighter future.”

We serve women like Sophia every day, and your support helps make their new lives possible. Click here to find out how to become a part of the life-change!