Carla Finds Hope
Carla's story is one that signifies hope. Last year, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and despite the consequences Carla took a leave of absence from work to care for her. Eventually, the company she had been with for 25 years had to let her go. Carla understood the reasoning but she felt caring for her sick mother was more important. Six months later, her mother passed away. Carla felt extremely depressed and she knew something had to be done. So, she started seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed her an anti-depressant to alleviate the depressive symptoms. With her depression under control, Carla was ready to move forward with her life.
Just when things were looking up for Carla, her house caught on fire. She was able to stay with a neighbor for a couple of weeks, but after that she had nowhere else to go. With no family or friends to help her, Carla turned to Journeys for support.
When Carla first came to Journeys, she appeared physically and emotionally
exhausted. She had been sleeping in her car for the past few days. Carla did not have the money to provide herself with the basic necessities a human being needs for survival. Throughout the intake, it was clear that Carla was use to living a very independent lifestyle and relying on others for help was difficult for her. She stated that this was a temporary situation and within the next year she would be on her way to building a stable life for herself.
Carla didn’t waste any time with her job search. She began filling out application after application. She would arrive at the HOPE Center early in the morning to fill them out. About a month or so of job searching, Carla landed herself a job at a convenient store. She was able to maintain her job while sleeping in her car. Carla was determined to have a place of her own by the end of summer.
The renovation process in Carla’s townhome was completed, but she couldn’t afford the mortgage payments anymore and was forced to sell. With the proceeds Carla earned from the sale, she was able to move into an apartment. Carla is now working at a bank full-time and doing great.
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