Alexis and her daughter, A’Laynna, relocated to Little Rock from Florida last year to take care of her sick mother, only a month before the pandemic hit. When Alexis was no longer able to stay with her mother, she was left without a stable home and hit many roadblocks trying to find jobs and resources during the height of the pandemic. Alexis bounced between different friends’ houses, but struggled to find somewhere safe and secure. A friend directed Alexis to Our House for resources where—as a single mom to a young daughter facing homelessness—she was able to get connected to our homeless prevention program, CAFSI. Alexis and her case manager, Paige, quickly worked together in their first week to explore housing resources and connect A’Laynna to our children’s clinic—in partnership with Arkansas Children’s Hospital—to be seen for all her necessary screenings.
Alexis was fortunate to quickly get a Section 8 voucher so that she could find affordable housing. After moving into an apartment, Alexis faced many challenges throughout the next year before landing in her current home. “Finding a house on Section 8 is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, “ Alexis says. “The quality and quantity of what’s out there, the limitations of your voucher, the unclear qualifications, and the struggles of communication while under stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 made it very difficult.” Alexis encountered hazardous situations from shootings outside her apartment to lacking heat and air, and without her voucher she would not have been able to advocate for a more habitable living situation.
Through it all, Alexis and Paige worked closely together to focus on mental health, getting childcare for A’Laynna in Little Learners, and evolving her work experience into a long-term career. Working with the CAFSI program helped Alexis transform her mindset to think about how to make sustainable choices for her family that will result in a well-balanced life. Now, Alexis has been working in a long-term care facility that allowed her to get off of her housing voucher and is starting nursing school at Pulaski Tech this summer, all while pregnant with her second child! A’Laynna is excelling in Little Learners, especially by working with our Children’s Therapist to establish a strong foundation of social and emotional skills. Alexis has learned to prioritize her own self-care by having a therapist and remaining mentally balanced through all of the obstacles she faces.
Alexis remains committed to her new mindset of constantly working to achieve a new goal, and after a year in CAFSI, she is well on her way to her goals of owning her own home, starting a career, and growing her family!