We often provide donors and volunteers with data related to our service impact. This year we wanted to give you a bigger piece to the story. One of our families was willing to share their story of overcoming homelessness and how Family Promise helped in that journey.
Let us introduce you to Sarah*. Sarah is a mother of five. Four are adults now and one is only eight years old. She spent most of her life in New York but some of her family had moved to Cheyenne. In 2018 Sarah was working on getting established in Cheyenne when one of her adult daughters went missing in New York. That is when things started to fall apart.
She spent a lot of money trying to bounce back and forth, spending time working with police, investigators, and lawyers in New York while trying to hold onto her home in Cheyenne. It did not work out.
Sarah and her eight-year-old child were homeless. She had to stop her search for her missing daughter so she could get a home for herself and her young daughter. On top of everything else, Sarah had been experiencing a lot of health issues. Nothing was going right. Then Sarah heard about Family Promise of Albany County and decided she needed to reach out.
FPAC accepted her into shelter in the winter of 2019. It did not take long for her to get into her own apartment and on February 1st she was officially living independently again. Family Promise has continued to work with Sarah and help her get and maintain stability. She was reunited with her husband (who had been overseas), found employment, and has been getting help with her medical issues. Her eight-year-old has been thriving in school and has started learning the piano.
While involved with FPAC, Sarah received more than just shelter. During our interview she said, "Family Promise is more than just a place to stay". She made friends with volunteers, connected with staff, and became involved with the community. Sarah said she "was never treated as just a client". Sarah is thankful for all the help she received. While her daughter is still missing and there's still more work to do, she is in a home with her family.
"FPAC is responsible for bringing lives back together. Putting together shattered pieces."
*The client’s name was changed to maintain confidentially.
