Isaiah is an 18 year old man who joined our program with his mother and his two younger siblings. We had already been familiar with the family because they’d been living in their car for a while and taking advantage of the Elk Grove Winter Shelter program, as well as various meal provisions around the area. We were glad when Mom decided to check out Uplift because, even though they didn’t have stable housing, we felt that she had the potential to make important life changes to better provide for her family. Isaiah has been a key supporter for his mother for a long time, so it was natural for him to stay in our meetings even though he was still in high school, and when we discovered he was about to turn 18, we knew this was the best plan. Throughout our lessons, Isaiah was engaged and positive, although he didn’t talk in the group much. We all celebrated with him when, a few months into the program, he got his driver’s license, and then later when he got his first job, working part-time at Taco Bell.
The family became more and more dedicated to the program, and Mom, Isaiah and the younger children all seemed to be doing better. Mom made some difficult but necessary choices in her own life, and we continued to see the whole family getting stronger and more confident. Then the end of the school year came. Isaiah was working with a retired teacher, a volunteer with Uplift, who was helping him pass his classes to be able to graduate, but they got some bad news. There were other credits that he hadn’t really earned yet due to the difficulties of living out of a car. Isaiah was devastated. He didn’t want to finish his classes, he didn’t see how any of it was going to help.
Through the relationships he and Mom built with people in Uplift, he found the motivation and real, everyday support he needed to change his mind, to pass those classes in the spring and then take his summer classes. Isaiah completed all of his credits during the summer and officially graduated from high school in August!
The other good news? The family is now in permanent housing and no longer consumed with meeting immediate needs.
Our program is time-intensive, and it involves a lot of people and what seems, sometimes, like a lot of money, but we are seeing results in the life changes that people are making.
