Home, At Last: Angel’s Story

For years, Angel barely scraped by as a single mom of four, relying on governmental rent assistance. While she was unsure of how to best help her special needs daughter adjust to adulthood and dreamed of home ownership, she was content. Life felt stagnant but steady.

Then, her landlord delivered some startling news. He was selling the property where Angel and her children lived. Finding no affordable replacement, her family became homeless. With nowhere to turn, the family began living in a motel room, their future cast into uncertainty. That is until they found a safe haven at the Mission in November 2022.

Angel admits that between juggling their various moves and all life’s other obligations, her entire family was “running on fumes” when they arrived. While they didn’t immediately feel at home, they felt safe and a new sense of hope.

With the help of the Mission, Angel finally found a life skills training program for her oldest, adult daughter, Alahjiah, who has special needs. This program, along with a Discipleship assignment in the kitchen, assists in better equipping Alahjiah with the network and skills needed to succeed. Alahjiah currently works part-time at SeaWorld.

Thanks to the Mission, her second child, Z’Leah, received the stability she needed to finish high school, graduating cum laude in the spring. She began her first year at Orange Technical College this fall.

Meanwhile, her youngest two, Alannah and Emmanuel, remain part of our Youth Learning Center. Alannah was selected to participate in the Mission’s art club, and Emmanuel spends much of his time playing with his numerous Mission friends in the gym.

While Angel never wanted to experience homelessness, she acknowledges that during this period, God has answered many of her prayers, including homeownership. Guided by the Mission, Angel applied for a Habitat for Humanity home in January 2023. After months of anticipation, she finally broke ground on her new home in August, with a move-in date set for April 2024. “I’ve dreamed about having my own home,” Angel reminisces, “and now that it’s going to be my own home built from the ground up, I don’t have to worry about…someone telling me I have to move.”

With deep gratitude, Angel acknowledges the role of donors like you in providing stability throughout this transformative year and securing a future through her new Habitat house. “It’s a blessing because we could be out on the streets. I see a lot of people out on the streets with families.” Thanks to your support, Angel’s family not only found refuge at the Mission but also a secure forever home. Due to your generosity, Angel’s future is no longer stagnant but now shines with promise. Her excitement for the future is apparent: “I’m looking so forward to it.”