TO SAVE A CHILD

My name is Brittney and my story is really about God saving a child by leading me to Vision House. When I look back, there are just so many instances when you can see Him at work in my life.

I guess the beginning was the realization that I was having a baby and I was now responsible for the life of another. My life was a series of bad decisions. I was pregnant. I was not married. And my baby’s father was a drug addict.

I had no money. I was living with the baby’s father and all I could see was another ruined life that would be my fault. The guilt was unbearable. But I didn’t know what to do.

My doctor told me about Vision House. Can you believe that? Out of the blue he asked me how I was doing and I found a friend. He said that I was thinking clearly about the well being of the baby and that Vision House could help me.

I called Vision House and they sent me the application forms. But then I froze. It was the first of the hard choices that I had to make. To leave the baby’s father and be alone and pregnant was more than I thought I could do.

So I stayed where I was except now God took over. The message was clear and constant “Get Out”. I was afraid. But the message kept coming over and over. And then the struggling begin – me with myself. My fear against my guilt for staying. My anxiety level was almost crippling at times. I had no peace while I stayed there.

I filled out the forms and sent them back to Vision House. They called me and I went for an interview with Anne Snook. I still had not made up my mind to leave my baby’s father but I knew God was pushing me to Vision House.

I left the interview and I knew this was God showing me the way. There was no doubt that Vision House was His choice. But was I going to be obedient to His calling? It was as clear as day. I had a choice to make for me and my baby.

I know now that there will always be struggling, anxiety and guilt for those who choose not to follow the path of the Lord. I know that I have to be accountable for the decisions that I make.

Vision House is a family, a support group, loving people taught me how to make good decisions. They helped me find my self esteem.

I’m married now, have a second child on the way and will move into a new home in a few weeks. My four year old is doing great, happy and healthy and well adjusted. I tell my story to anyone that is having problems like I had. Be obedient and follow the Lord. He is there for you. Listen for His message.

MY CUSTOMERS AT A PROMINENT NW BUSINESS DIDN’T KNOW MY KIDS AND I WERE HOMELESS

By Marcie

I’m not sure you can always recognize a homeless mom. She may not be hanging out in all the stereotypical homeless places. On the corner begging for donations. Or sleeping in a downtown doorway. No, she can be the nice girl at Starbucks who greets you every time you stop in for your morning latte.

I’m not that old really but 25 feels like a lifetime. I had my first of two children at age 16 and my second daughter at 20. Suicide felt like a real option on more than one occasion.

My family was normal, so I thought. I had dreams about becoming a fashion designer. We lived modestly. My dad beat my mom and I stood up for her. He abused drugs and alcohol and whatever relationship I had with him passed the first time I called the Police and had him arrested. Before I left home for good he had gone to jail a total of 3 times.

I guess I rebelled, went my own way at 15 and tried to make a life. I was on my own basically. I had a baby and expenses and I was still in high school. I worked to pay for an apartment and friends helped with my daughter. I struggled but got a GED that I’m proud of.

But the pressure of bills, job layoffs, school loans, school supplies took their toll. It was impossible to keep up. I got married at 18 thinking that I could provide a home for my then 2 year old. But the marriage only lasted a couple of years. With all that was going on, the marriage didn’t have a chance.

Why me I would ask? Why is this happening to me? All I ever wanted was to be happy, to be a fashion designer and design my own line of clothes. That’s when I lost my way. When I lost my confidence I lost my hope and my dreams. Life was winning and I was falling to the side of the road.

I drifted from friend to friend with my daughter and new baby. We slept on floors and stayed until we were asked to leave. I didn’t want to live this way with my children but didn’t have any choice. My mom helped with the rent for a time until her money ran out. Jobs were scarce and design school supplies were just too expensive. I was trying to work full time, go to school full time and raise my daughters. I was living on the edge everyday.

Finally it happened. I was evicted from my apartment and had absolutely no where to go. No job. No food. And two daughters to take care of.

We found a homeless shelter but I couldn’t leave the kids there each morning to look for work. My school age daughter missed a lot of school. I was doing the best I could just to give them a roof and some food. Shelters can be scary places and no place for little kids. People wander in from all walks of life and the general rule is to be on watch all the time. I got very little sleep each night.

Someone told me about Vision House and the rest I will forever be thankful for. It is truly a place to call home. We have food and shelter but mostly we have love. I have a part time job at a prominent NW Business, my first daughter is in school and my little 5 year old will start school this fall. I am back in school now and my dreams are back stronger than ever.

The people at Vision House give you your confidence back. They are there for you no matter what. I never feel alone. Yes, I am independent and want to do for myself. And, Vision House let’s me be me. But I know deep inside that I would have never made it without the help and support of Vision House. They are giving me a chance at life I couldn’t get anywhere else.

SUICIDE SOUNDED LIKE A GREAT OPTION
By Maria

I lost my job the week after 9/11. The phones stopped ringing at the motivational/educational consulting company where I worked. Everyone was laid off.

When my job went away, so did my husband leaving me to care for the two children ages 10 and 8. Unemployment wouldn't even cover the rent.

No one was hiring after 9/11. It was as if time stood still. But the bills just kept piling up.

I felt isolated and alone, depressed and not worthy as a mother. My neighbors would not talk to me any more because I was out of work and they weren't. I was angry with God for letting me get to this point in my life. Suicide sounded like a solution. In fact I was hospitalized because friends thought I might try it.

Vision House saved me. There is no question in my mind about that. Yes, I had medication, but medicine does not take away the "loser" image I had of myself. I thought I was not ok and everybody else was. I felt totally inept about caring for my children. And at this point I didn't care what happened to me.

Vision House showed me that all of us have problems that can be solved. My friends at Vision House shared their situations with me and I saw for the first time that everyone has to deal with many things in their lives. I was not alone and I was not different. I was not judged and I felt accepted.

Anne Snook (Vision House Program Supervisor) helped me learn to plan for myself, my life and constantly encouraged me to work my plan. Anne taught me the importance of doing something nice for me, to understand that I was one of God's beautiful creatures.

I am stronger now because of Vision House. I know what I have to do and I have a plan to make things work for me and my children. Currently I have two jobs and my kids are situated in a home and neighborhood that they love. I am confident that the Lord is looking over me and has been from the beginning. God led me to Vision House.

"Vision House Offered Us a Hand Up" (by Diane)

I used drugs for more than 17 years and for the most part, I got by. I'm a mom and even though I never married, my daughter and I were happy. I had a great job making more than enough to take care of us.

Then I got injured on the job and couldn't work anymore. There was no money to pay rent. No money for food. The company I worked for didn't want to pay for the surgery the doctors said I needed and I couldn't get workers comp because the company was trying to dodge the expenses, using their lawyers to delay things.

I didn't have money for a lawyer and didn't know what to do. So we became homeless. It's almost too much to comprehend when it happens to you. It's almost too much for anyone to bear.

But we found Vision House, or shall I say Vision House found us. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about where we could have been. I finally got the surgery I needed to hold a job, my self-esteem is back and my daughter is in school, doing well and studying to be a chef. I haven't been on drugs for 26 months now and don't think I will ever go back to that life. If I had one wish it would be if homelessness happens to you, that a Vision House be there to offer you a hand up.

"Without a focus for your life, it's easy to lose your way"
(by Paul)

There are no "voc-tech" schools for being a good father and husband. And regardless of how good your parents were at providing for you, they have their own struggles and demons to deal with. I guess after high school I just assumed that if I stayed with my buddies and did what they did, I would be doing what I was supposed to do. Boy was I wrong!

It's not fun being arrested and thrown in jail for 21 days. And it's not fun being sent to mandatory detox for two weeks. Sure I was using heroin when I was busted but all my friends were too. We weren't criminals. We had a rock band and I owned a chimney cleaning business. I was a husband and a dad. We had smoked grass for years. Didn't everybody smoke grass? What's the big deal? We weren't hurting anybody.

My plan was to go through the first time offender program with its one-year of probation and counseling and then get back to business as usual. Come on, I wasn't doing anything wrong except I was the dumb one who got caught. My life was ok before. My wife had thrown me out for smoking pot seven years before my bust and my daughter, who was now 14, could still see me. It's not like I was incarcerated.

So, I did what the state said I had to do and looked for a job right after detox. And looking for a job when you've been busted for heroin use isn't all that pleasant. If self-confidence is important to rehabilitation, then I wouldn't recommend looking for a job when you've been jailed for taking drugs. No one wants you. You are like a leper. It makes you want to run and hide. You just sit there in front of job recruiters and wait for them to get to that part of the application. I cried more than once because this had happened to me. Why me? I would have taken any job just to make the state happy and make the twelve-month probation period get over.

That was three years ago and today, as I tell my story, it doesn't sound like me at all. I got accepted into Vision House and went through their counseling program being administered by John Camerer. Later, Vision House hired me to do some maintenance work. John trusted me and believed in me when so many others hadn't. He really listened to my problems and he prayed for me, for my recovery. He taught me about taking responsibility for my life and helping others.

I paid 30% of my earnings for rent and as time went by, I became a house manager helping out with the other residents who were recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. I also got a part time job with United Airlines and when I was laid off, Vision House hired me full-time. I think the fact that I have a good and improving relationship with my ex-wife and a close relationship with my 18-year-old daughter speaks volumes about the focus I obtained from Vision House. I came for a month or two and stayed for three years. And those three years have made all the difference in my life.