All The Way Home: Sarah’s Story
From three weeks in a car to the front door of a first home: how a village turned fear into hope.
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Before Harvest House: Doing Everything Right, Still Losing Ground Sarah grew up in a troubled single-parent home and carried those early burdens into adulthood. She moved to Florida to chase a dream job at an aquarium, but high living costs and mounting bills kept her one step behind. Even with a full-time position at Publix, 15 years strong, stability felt out of reach. When she learned her lease wouldn’t be renewed, Sarah did what many parents do: she found a way. She leaned on friends. She stretched her savings to cover a hotel while waiting for an apartment that was “almost ready.” Weeks turned into more weeks, and the savings she’d worked so hard to build disappeared, dollar by dollar. “You can do everything right, work full time, be the best parent you can and still end up with nothing.” – Sarah Three Weeks in a CarWhen the hotel money ran out, Sarah and her son, Bradin, slept in their car. Days meant driving between plazas and parking lots to stay cool. Mornings meant brushing teeth with bottled water and finding a gas station bathroom before school and work. Nights meant searching for a safe place to park where they could blend in. “I spent so much time researching ‘safe spots.’ Even then, I never felt safe,” she remembers. The unknown was the hardest part: Can I do this for Bradin? Where will we sleep tonight? How do we make this work? A Door Opens: Home AgainSarah kept her situation private, no family, no friends knew. But word eventually reached her store manager at Publix, who shared a contact at Harvest House. Sarah applied to the Home Again program, our supportive housing program for working families. “I never thought a program like this existed,” she says. “They got us in quickly and my first thought was, ‘Is this really going to work?’” Through housing, case management, free therapy, and life-skill classes, Sarah and Bradin began to rebuild what crisis had stripped away: stability, dignity, and hope. Therapy, Then CourageAt first, Sarah resisted therapy. She went once, then didn’t return for a year. When she finally came back, healing felt hard, but it also became her turning point. “The most powerful thing I learned in therapy is that I am capable,” she says. Keys in Hand: From Uncertainty to HomeClosing day didn’t feel real at first. Even after moving in, Sarah waited for someone to tell her what she could or couldn’t do. But after a week, something shifted. “This is mine. I get to make the decisions.” Today, Bradin has his own room and his own routine. He wakes up, gets ready in a real bathroom, and ends the day in his own bed. The two even brought home a new puppy (Sarah picked him!), who promptly moved his toys into Bradin’s room. They’re already planning Christmas lights for the tree outside because now, no one tells them how they can decorate. “We went from water bottles in parking lots to a peaceful home. We feel safe.” The Power of a VillageSarah often talks about her “village”, the people who stayed. A case manager who listened instead of judged. Peers in Home Again who became friends. A therapist who helped her find her strength. Donors who made it all possible. “I didn’t have a village before. I didn’t tell anyone I needed help. Now I know there are people who care about me and want to see me succeed. And that village doesn’t disappear just because we have a home, it stays.” Why Your Support MattersIn a world that prizes speed and efficiency, we’ve traded away connection and belonging. At Harvest House, we’re rebuilding the Village, neighbors helping neighbors, dignity first, and wraparound support that lasts all the way home. Your generosity made space for Sarah to move from fear to stability, from a car to a front door, from surviving to thriving. And there are more families like hers waiting for that knock, that call, that set of keys. Be part of someone’s village today. |
