Mica's Story...

Homelessness. When you hear that someone is homeless, what’s the first thing you think of?  Do you picture someone begging for money on the side of the road? Do you picture a man? A woman? 

My guess is that a loving, hard-working, single-mother of four children isn’t the first image that comes to mind, but that’s exactly the situation Mica and her family found themselves in when we first met. Mica was doing everything in her power to make ends meet, and no matter how hard she tried, she was coming up short. Soon, she found herself without a place to live. 

Challenge after challenge piled up. Mica quickly found herself in survival mode,  trying to make ends meet and to figure out where her family was going to sleep each night. After months of prayer, careful counsel & planning, a space became available in Renewal’s Affordable Housing Program. The day her family moved in was monumental. Her kids celebrated by cheering “We’re not homeless anymore!” while dancing around the house that was now to be their home. 

When you are experiencing homelessness, there’s an indescribable stress hanging around you. It’s like a dark cloud that never leaves. You can’t think about what else is going on in the world around you. You can’t focus on your kids, let alone concentrate on a bible study. All you can think about is trying to get through the next moment before something else is thrown your way. 

When the basic need of knowing you have a safe and affordable place to live is met, you have more capacity to engage in everything else that is important in your life. Instead of living in survival mode, you can actually begin to thrive. Instead of being consumed with worry and fear, you can find a new desire to learn more about what God’s word is teaching and how it applies to your life.