Over the past year, Ashley Smith has been working to create a more stable future for herself and her children.
Pregnant with her youngest daughter, Ashley left an abusive relationship and returned to Arkansas determined to give her children a safer future. Because of her high-risk pregnancy, Ashley wasn’t medically cleared to work until her daughter, Rylee, was six months old. Once she was able to work again, she found a job, bought a car, and stayed with family while trying to rebuild.
For a while, it felt like things were finally falling into place. After conflict at the home where she was staying escalated, Ashley knew it was time to leave. With nowhere permanent to go, they moved from place to place, staying wherever they could. Every day became a balancing act of finding somewhere safe for her children to sleep while trying to keep working and moving forward.
“It just became too much,” Ashley says. “I had to find something stable for them.”
She first sought refuge at other shelters before being connected to Our House’s Stability Program. Soon afterward, Ashley’s family moved into our Family Housing program.
While Ashley was working toward stability for her family, her newborn, Rylee, was making progress of her own at Bright Beginnings. Born prematurely, Rylee had some developmental delays, and Ashley had been concerned that she might need speech and physical therapy. Since starting at Bright Beginnings, however, Rylee has made progress in areas like walking, communication, and eating independently.
“Rylee is a preemie baby, and she’s developmentally behind,” Ashley says. “But since she’s been over there, baby has been showing out. They’ll tell me, ‘Rylee does this now,’ and I’m like, ‘No, she doesn’t!'” Her older daughter, Aubry, also spent the summer in Our Club, where she had opportunities to learn, build friendships, and have fun during our Summer Program
Ashley and her case manager, Jae, continued working toward finding permanent housing. “When I got in touch with Ms. Jae, she helped me so much understanding housing vouchers and anything that I needed. She helped me look for things in the community to make sure me and the girls were good.” After two months in the Family House, Ashley and her daughters moved into their own apartment and were able to get financial support to cover their first month’s rent.
Ashley says the support she received extended beyond housing. During her stay in the Family House, she found a welcoming community and staff who were always willing to help.
“Everybody was sweet,” she says. “Every time I needed something, it got fixed. If someone didn’t have the answer, they pointed me to somebody who did.”
Today, Ashley is working while continuing to search for a full-time position with better pay and a schedule that better fits the needs of her children. She also wants to explore her longtime interest in cosmetology and continues working with Jae to prepare for new opportunities.
“I’m happy,” Ashley says. “I’m not content, but I’m happy. I’m ready for growth.”
For Jae, Ashley’s determination has been evident from the beginning.
“She’s very resilient,” Jae says. “Despite the challenges and hardships she’s faced, Ashley has maintained such a positive attitude. Her strength and her faith carried her through when things felt uncertain. She just kept moving forward.”