Mya lived week to week, paycheck to paycheck. Most of the time she was exhausted from working full-time and being a single mom to her young children, Alex, 8 and Ava, 6.

Her financial situation was extremely difficult, but she was usually able to keep up with her bills. That is until one month a substantial, unexpected charge was added to one of her utility bills. She knew she wouldn't be able to meet all of her obligations and started to worry about her ability to provide for her kids.

In desperation, she reached out to various agencies seeking assistance, but was told there were no appointments available. She started to contemplate suicide because she felt she had failed her children and they would be taken away. Thankfully, Mya found the courage to call 2-1-1 for help.

The specialist in the gateway contact center listened carefully to Mya that afternoon. She asked questions and developed a suicide prevention safety plan for her. She also connected Mya to Kelly in care coordination at the Crisis Center and helped her connect to the building strong families program.

Kelly helped Mya follow her safety plan. Over a series of conversations, Kelly learned that Mya not only worked full-time at night, but also attended community college. She was able to help Mya get caught up on her outstanding utility bill, and helped her access childcare services, as she had not been sleeping well due to the shift she worked. Through the building strong families program, Mya was able to make goals for herself and her children that could help her avoid a crisis in the future.

Mya is now feeling hopeful again. She is free of suicidal thoughts and optimistic about her and her children's future.

Your support of the Crisis Center allows families in crisis to connect to help, hope, and healing.  Thanks for your support in ensuring that no one in our community has to face crisis alone!