A Chance to Start Over

Anna is just one of the women who has used Calvary’s STRIDE program to build a better future for herself and her family.  STRIDE – Search Together to Resume Dignified Employment – offers women who have experienced homelessness the opportunity to work again.  It helps them gain the skills they need to maintain employment and the support they need to be confident in the work place.

When Anna was hired at Calvary, she was early in her recovery from addiction.  After leaving an abusive boyfriend – one who had threatened her with a gun – she moved from couch to couch, staying with friends and family because she couldn’t afford her own apartment.

Anna felt like starting her job at Calvary was like “starting over.”  She was determined that this was her chance to change – to stay sober, to work hard and get an apartment, to reunite with her family.  When she got her first paycheck, Anna told me how much she wanted to buy a new pair of boots, but she wasn’t going to because saving her money for her own place was even more important to her.

After completing Calvary’s STRIDE program, Anna got a full-time job at a local hotel providing cleaning and hospitality services.  Anna also got her own place.  She told me how thrilled she was to be able to invite her family to her home for the holidays this year.

Anna is just one of the many women who will use the opportunity for good employment through STRIDE to transform their lives and their futures. In our new building on Good Hope Road, even more women like Anna will have the chance to “start over” this year and build a brighter tomorrow.