A single mother of two, Crystal never expected herself to become homeless. More than that, she never expected to experience homelessness with one daughter while fighting to regain custody of the other. Crystal’s life had been rough for many years. After leaving her abusive husband to keep her family safe, Crystal fought to keep her family afloat—living in a small trailer in Texas and working two jobs while taking care of her two children. Last year, after a series of incidents with family members, Crystal decided it was time to move her family to Arkansas for a clean break. Her oldest daughter, Monica, made the choice to stay with family friends in Texas and her youngest, Makayla, came to Arkansas. But when Crystal couldn’t find a job to pay the bills, she was forced to move into a hotel for several months, and eventually found her way to the Shelter at Our House in January.
Living in a shelter was not easy at first, especially as life spiraled out of control for her two daughters. Monica became involved in a string of incidents which landed her in juvenile detention and led Crystal to give power of attorney over Monica to her cousin. The past year’s events also took their toll on Makayla which led Crystal to seek residential mental health services for her young teenage daughter. As she dealt with the struggles of her daughters, Crystal was making great strides for herself in Our House’s programs. Crystal enrolled in Our House’s job training program and has worked across campus in security, as a housekeeper, and now as the Shelter’s Intake Clerk. Crystal has evolved from someone who never saw the importance of saving money to someone who appreciates the structure of planning for her financial future. Through her current job as the Intake Clerk, Crystal is developing valuable job skills that she hopes to take into a future career in the clerical field.
Makayla has completed her residential mental health program and is back with Crystal and enrolled in a new school. They have even moved into Our House’s transitional housing—the Family House—where Makayla and Crystal enjoy the quiet and privacy of their own room. With the support of the Housing team and her case manager, Crystal is working hard to regain custody of Monica and reunite their family. Once Crystal completes her job training program, she would like to continue to build her savings with the goal of saving $10,000. She also plans to use this time to prepare for reentry into the workforce by working on her interviewing skills and beginning the job application process. She and Makayla plan to move into their own place—and out of homelessness— at the end of the school year.