Thank you for bringing GREAT JOY to hurting people!​

You changed Stephanie’s life.

Stephanie grew up hiding a terrible secret. “I was being molested by family members, but I couldn’t tell my mom because she’s not a loving person. I couldn’t trust her to believe me,” she says. “I felt like it was me against the world.”

The abuse and her mother’s rejection left Stephanie feeling unworthy of love. When she was 14, she began numbing her pain with drugs and, when she grew up, she was drawn into an abusive relationship. It was all she felt she deserved.

Then, after years of abuse, she left for the sake of her children. While they were staying with her mother, she took another crucial step. “I got clean,” she says. “But my mom couldn’t deal with the change. She kicked us out.”

Stephanie and her children were suddenly homeless, but she didn’t turn to drugs to cope. Instead, she turned to LA Family Housing, who referred her to our Casa de Vida Family Crisis Shelter. “They’ve given us a place to stay, food and diapers,” she says. “I thank God daily.”

Meanwhile, staff have given Stephanie spiritual and emotional support that have shown her she is worthy of love. “I never had a support system before,” she says. “They motivate me to keep going and strive to better myself every day. “

Stephanie is now studying to become a Pharmacy Technician and, after graduation, plans to get a job and stay here until she can afford a home for her family. “By not charging us anything, they allow us to save so we can get back on our feet,” she says.

This year, Stephanie and her children will be celebrating Christmas with a renewed spirit and the great joy that comes from a new life. “It’s been such a blessing to be in this house. I feel like God allowed us to be here. We were homeless, but now we’re happy.”

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