“Coming here has turned our lives around.”
Every time Destiny saw her father hit her mother, it broke her heart.
“My parents were married for 13 years and there was always violence,” she says. “I told myself I’d never live like that.”
When she grew up, she fell in love with a seemingly kind and loving man. “I thought he could do no wrong,” she says. “But he became abusive, so I ended up in the same situation as my mom.”
Destiny began numbing her pain with drugs. It was the beginning of a struggle with addiction that cost her custody of her children and left her homeless, living in her boyfriend’s car, struggling to survive. “I was in a dark hole,” she says. “I lost myself and I lost all hope.”
Then Destiny discovered she was pregnant and her love for her unborn child drove her to change her life. She stopped using and asked God to show her the way off the streets. He led her to L.A. Family Housing, who referred her to our Casa de Vida. “They gave me somewhere to call home where I could get my life together,” she says.
“They made me feel welcome, loved and safe.”
Destiny gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and is completing the domestic violence prevention, parenting and 12-step classes necessary to regain custody of her other children.
She’s also found a job and is saving money for an apartment where she can create a happy home for her family. “I’ve made so much progress that my social worker is already recommending I get my kids back,” she says. “Coming here has turned our lives around.”
As Destiny celebrates this Thanksgiving, she feels incredibly thankful for your compassion and support – and how it’s given her family a fresh start in life. “I asked God to give me hope and He brought me to Hope of the Valley. They provided everything I need to give my family a new beginning.”