If you or your neighbor were in crisis and you turned to LifePath for shelter and other life-changing help, Brenda’s sweet smile might be one of the most comforting things you see on a really tough day . . .
“I am a case manager and I take care of the women at the Men & Women’s Shelter,” Brenda says. “I love my job!”
Brenda helps women navigate the admittance process, welcoming struggling individuals into a safe warm place, and then she goes the extra mile to let them know she is listening and truly cares about what they are going through.
“There’s a huge need for the Men & Women’s Shelter. There really is. And I want to give people the chance to be heard, to be seen. I try to make sure they get steered in the direction they need to go. And I pray every day that God opens doors for them because everybody needs a break.
“A lot of the stories that I hear, I can truly relate to,” Brenda says, remembering a time in her own past when she was forced to flee her home because of domestic violence.
“The father of my son . . . he was very abusive. I prayed and prayed for a way out,” she says, and when the opportunity presented itself, she was ready. “My son was just five years old. I packed everything I could in a trash bag and drove over nine hours to my sister’s home in North Carolina.”
But her mother’s failing health soon brought her back to Pennsylvania, where finding work and a safe place for her family to live proved to be a huge challenge. “We thought it would be easy to find a place. It wasn’t. We were jumping from hotel to hotel. I got scared . . .”
Brenda will never forget the kindness of the Mission that sheltered her and her son during those difficult days, and she counts it among the greatest blessings in her life. Having a stable environment enabled her to do the work she needed to do to get back on her feet and into a home in a very short time.
“I don’t regret ever facing those challenges because it really shows you who you are. You’ve got to dig inside yourself and find the warrior that’s in there. I did, and I’m very proud of me.”
Getting back on their feet is what Brenda wants every struggling parent to experience, too—and, of course, the huge relief of having a safe place to call home.
“I truly believe that everything happens for a reason,” Brenda says with a smile. “You just have to have faith, you really do. I’m a firm believer in that because while I was homeless, I got saved and I found Jesus.”
On behalf of people in our community who are in urgent need of meals, help, and hope, thank you for standing with LifePath now to provide the tools and encouragement that can launch a new beginning in life!
