Justene, mother of five, was chronically homeless since 2017, staying with friends, family, hotels, and shelters. In 2018 she was at Union Station shelter when she gave birth to her child in the dark.

In 2020, she found Foothill Unity Center and was assigned a social worker where she finally found a sense of community and care. She was placed in an extended stay, with a kitchen and fridge that gave them time to recover from the trauma of homelessness and she was able to save money and heal. She received behavioral health support, kids’ school supplies and backpacks, clothes, food, holiday gifts for the kids, therapy, and step-by-step help applying for and receiving permanent housing through section 8.

In her own words, “They made me feel as if it was my family taking care of me. My faith in humanity is seriously restored. You’ve given me this chance at life and offered me new cycles of healing that I never thought I would have.”