A Letter to the Emergency Housing Program

Dear Friends Emergency Housing:

I’m writing to thank you so much for all of your help and support during one of the hardest times in our lives. I never thought I’d ever become homeless. I was devastated and scared for my children. I know I had no choice but to call a shelter and it was the scariest call I’ve ever made. Mary answered the phone (I know that now after getting to know all of you over the time we spent there) and she was so nice and calm as I was frantic. She told us we could come that night.

I pictured the worst; I thought of a shelter as I think most people who have never experience one would. I thought of unstable people on cots in one big room, public shower stalls in the bathroom, etc. The Friends Emergency Housing Program is nothing like that. It is like a home; clean and comfortable and most important, I felt safe and that my children were safe. The other families there were good people, we had a lot in common and became friends with most. The whole staff was really great and supportive.

I didn’t feel like a homeless person there, I just felt like someone who hit a really rough spot in my life and the program was there to understand and help. We arrived there with no car, no money, no job and no hope. Within 5 weeks we got a car, found jobs and our own place to call home. I left behind the sense of failure I felt in the beginning and for that there is just no thanks that is enough. The Program gave us more than a roof over our heads. It helped us back on our feet through talks, advice, support, life skills and even talking with the other families was such a support system for us. We learned that it was not the end of the world, just an obstacle we’d get through. We did get through it and again, thank you all at the Friends Emergency Housing Program.

As written by an Emergency Housing Family