Did You Know?
The Veterans Administration estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
HomeAid, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) corporation. Federal Non-Profit Tax ID No. 33-0673009.
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Cheryl, Northern California
After 13 years of being a single mother and raising her three sons, Cheryl had thought she found someone to share the rest of her life with. He seemed nice and stable. After a time of courtship, she married him. That was a year ago and it didn't take long for Cheryl to find out she had made a very big mistake.
He began by stealing money from Cheryl, lying to her, and eventually abusing her. The night she ended up in the hospital, she called the police and had him arrested. Before leaving, Cheryl's husband cleared out their bank account and took Cheryl's car. When she returned home from her traumatic hospital stay, she found herself without any money or her car and days away from the rent being due.
The first of many miracles occurred when Cheryl's landlord knew about her situation and had compassion on her, and allowed Cheryl to live rent free for fives months while she got back on her feet!
Unfortunately, getting through an abusive relationship is more difficult than we can imagine, and Cheryl fell into a deep depression. Feeling hopeless and alone, afraid no one would ever love her, she tried to take her own life.
Her next miracle occurred when her son and his wife dropped by to visit and found Cheryl lying on her couch with the bottle of pills lying next to her. They immediately called the ambulance. Cheryl's stomach was pumped, and she was admitted for observation.
Cheryl's daughter-in-law had heard of Shepherd's Gate and called to see what programs were offered. She wanted to make sure we would be a place that would help her mother-in-law.
Shortly after that, Cheryl called to find out if there was a space available for her to stay at the 30-day crisis shelter. Cheryl was accepted into a long-term program.
"I had never been to a shelter before. That first night I cried all night, then -- after experiencing the love of the staff here -- I felt such joy and peace, I don't want to leave!"
Now, Cheryl has become a House Manager for a women's shelter. "I have a lot of love to give and I can understand where the women are coming from who are here with me. I am so blessed to be here."
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