Stability and Hope in Times of Crisis and Change

Shantel and Jamani have moved four times in the last year. Shantel and her daughter came to Rochester from Florida, after her sister invited her to stay with her. Only a few weeks after moving in, her sister said that she had changed her mind, that living together wasn’t going to work out. Shantel, out of necessity, moved in with her aunt even though she knew she was having financial troubles of her own. When her aunt’s home was foreclosed, Shantel asked a friend if she and her daughter could stay with her for a while. This soon put a strain on the friendship and Shantel and three-year old Jamani were on their own once again. Finally, Shantel turned to the YWCA’s Emergency Housing Program, not knowing what to expect. “I didn’t want to put my daughter in that situation,” she says, “But I was surprised. It’s nice here. I have my own room. I like most of the other women and the staff is really helpful.”

At the YWCA, Shantel worked with staff to find long-term housing and work on other goals. Before coming to the YWCA, she was working full-time as a temp, but she lost her job due to having to take time off for appointments to submit paperwork and provide statements from prior landlords in order for her lease application to be considered.  After calling the YWCA home for nearly three months, Shantel was able to move into her own apartment where she and Jamani, who is set to begin Head Start soon, can thrive.

Now that she has a place of her own, Shantel, who dropped out of high school to care for her siblings, wants to go back to school and is excited to begin a GED course in the coming months. She has set her sights on attending college one day.