Success Stories
Megan's Story
Megan never knew stability in her life before coming to Doorways. Until age 9, Megan lived with a mother who struggled with substance abuse. When this situation became untenable, Megan and her sister went to live with her father, who was an alcoholic. From this second unstable home, Megan bounced through various group homes before giving birth to a son. At 22, she found herself pregnant again, with no place to call home.
Luckily, Megan and her son found Doorways and soon moved into the emergency shelter. She worked with Doorways' caring staff to set goals for her future and quickly secured a job earning $300 a week. After her stay at the Emergency Shelter, Megan and her son moved on to Doorways' Transitional Housing Program, where, through the ongoing support of Doorways' staff and volunteers, they received help in securing and affording an apartment.
After having a baby girl, Megan began her search for permanent employment. With the goal to pursue a career in accounting, she found an accounting clerk job paying $12 per hour and enrolled in college to further pursue her career goals. In just six months, Megan received a raise and health benefits, and maintained a 4.0 grade average. She enrolled her son in Head Start and her daughter in subsidized day care.
With the steady guidance of Doorways' Transitional Housing Program staff, Megan is working to create a safe and stable life for herself and her children. A Doorways staff member explained, 'Megan is inspiring because she is so determined to accomplish her goals and doesn't allow anything to get in her way.'
Karen's Story
Karen was raised in foster care, which, according to a 2001 study by the Urban Institute, is a strong predictor of future homelessness. Unlike many less fortunate children in foster care, Karen was close to her foster mother and describes their relationship as 'good.' As an adult, Karen continued to be lucky; she was able to find affordable, subsidized housing for herself and her young child.
Soon after, however, Karen and her son moved in with her boyfriend. Though the situation was not ideal, Karen was in love and thought the family's housing situation would improve. That is, until Karen's boyfriend turned abusive. Fearing his increasing violence, she looked for housing of her own but was unable to find anything she could afford. She felt trapped in her abusive situation -- until she heard about Doorways.
After convincing herself that the shelter was her only safe option, Karen and her son moved to Doorways' Safehouse, at which point Karen's life began to immediately improve. The caring and dedicated staff at the Safehouse consoled her, praising her decision to leave home. At the Safehouse, Karen was finally free to plan a violence-free future for herself and her five-year-old son.
Karen came to the Safehouse with a high school education and a dream of providing a safe and stable home for her child. With the help of Doorways' volunteers and case managers, she acquired jobs as a medical technician and case manager at a senior living home. Karen then moved from the Safehouse to her very own apartment, as a participant in Doorways' Transitional Housing Program. Since her move, Karen has received a promotion and a raise at her current job, and is taking classes at Northern Virginia Community College to help achieve her goal of becoming a phlebotomist and lab technician. She has begun clinical work at a local medical center and, with the aid of Doorways' caring staff and volunteers, is truly working to build a better life for herself and her son.
Lee's Story
Lee came to Doorways seeking shelter for herself and her two year-old son. In her 40's, she found herself in an abusive relationship and a first-time mother. She arrived at our Emergency Shelter and was accepted into our Transitional Housing Program through which she found an apartment, employment and links to many other services. In follow-up visits, we noticed that Lee, a victim of child abuse and sexual abuse, was having difficulties with her new parenting duties, and her two year-old son was already showing signs of emotional problems.
Doorways' staff worked to teach Lee new parent coping skills. We also helped her find play groups and other programs to expose her son to age-appropriate behavior. A therapist visited Lee in her home, and arrangements were made for a babysitter while she attended counseling. With her job's atypical work hours, this was essential for Lee to begin the important inner work of healing from years of victimization. A year after arriving at our Emergency Shelter, Lee still has the job Doorways helped her find. She's developed strategies that help her deal with anger, allowing her to handle difficult customers at work, become a nurturing mother, and end the cycle of violence in her life.
Riva's Story
Riva came to Doorways while trying to reunite her family. Because of her substance abuse, her son was in foster care. Her older daughter was in a state residential treatment facility for substance abusers. Since entering the Transitional Housing Program with her children, Riva has been active in a relapse prevention program for drug users and is creating a supportive environment for her daughter to stay free of drugs. She is working full time and plans to become a substance abuse counselor. To gain experience in this role, she currently serves as a volunteer in a shelter.
With a stable home, Riva's son was able to attend school regularly. He previously had a history of failing grades due to excessive absences from illness. Until recently, he had chronic symptoms that were never properly diagnosed and he received care mostly in emergency rooms. With access to care with the same pediatrician, the boy was found to have a rare autoimmune disease and is now under specialists' care. The Doorways team worked with the schools to get him home schooling this summer to prevent him from having to repeat the 8th grade.
Riva's daughter-still drug free-was accepted into the Job Corps training program after help and encouragement from Doorways staff, and much advocacy throughout the application process. She called her admission day "the proudest day of her life." Our case manager helped Riva apply for an award-winning training program from which almost all graduates soon double their income to earn an average of $32,000. More than a success story of economic independence, Riva's story shows how a pattern of substance abuse, the root cause of their homelessness, was turned around for one family.