Joy’s road to Our House began several years ago when her car was lost to a fire. Living in the country provided limited job options within walking distance, and slowly but surely more time passed without being in the workforce. A gap in her work history compounded the difficulty of finding employment, and Joy found herself homeless. Joy was able to stay with a friend for several months, but together they decided Joy should come to Little Rock where more resources were available to help her find independence and financial stability again. Joy’s first evening in the Shelter was an emotional one, as the reality of her situation sank in, but the other women and the Housing team were there to provide reassurance that she would make it through.
It had been several years since Joy had worked with a computer, and sitting down in the Career Center to make a resume was overwhelming to say the least, but our Employment Coaches were there to talk Joy through it. “Coming to Our House has been so positive,” Joy says. “The help and care that I’ve gotten here has been really nice.” Since Joy was having difficulty finding employment, our team connected her to a job training position at the Our House Resale Store where she now works! Joy is able to take advantage of the bus pass program in our Career Center to travel to work, and she is working to get insurance for a new vehicle! Joy has been attending counseling with the Mental Health Manager to help process the changes of the past few months, and she also utilizes our weekly health clinic with ARcare.
From getting her trained on her store responsibilities to driving her to job interviews and doctor’s appointments, Joy has found a supportive community more than anything at Our House. As someone who has been a resident for several months now, Joy finds that she is now able to give the same support and encouragement she received to the newer residents as they arrive!