Rewriting Her Story
As she packed her bags at 15, the last words Jess ever heard her mother say were, “I tried to have an abortion with you, and I failed.” The fallout left an enduring impact. Jess was always a bright and curious girl, raised in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She was active in her church […]
Fulvio Reaches His Goals
As long as he could remember, the United States represented freedom to Fulvio, freedom he couldn’t find in Cuba. Despite what government propaganda said about the US, he decided that one day, he would see for himself. So, after saving enough money, Fulvio made a dangerous journey out of his homeland and into the United […]
Maria Makes A Choice
Maria is easy to pick out of a crowd, with her loud purple hair and outgoing personality. She can often be found sporting a bright red “Giant” t-shirt while at Water Street. She’ll come straight from work to put in some extra hours volunteering at the Outreach Center, our food distribution center. Volunteering is a […]
Young Adults at Water Street
Imagine growing up without something you’d call home. You move around from place to place, sometimes staying with your family in an apartment or other times living out of an office or hotel. It becomes hard to form lasting relationships at school, and when you’re there, you’re an easy target for bullying. By the time […]
Building Confidence
Deb is a Life Coach who spends much of her time working with women in their transition out of Water Street. One of her goals is to make sure when guests leave, they leave with confidence again, in themselves and in their relationship with God. Since many of our guests have dealt with loss or […]
Jesselys Gives Her Heart to Jesus
He was nice and he was kind.” says Jesselys, describing Jesus. “He loves everyone.” This Spring, one of our Wonder Academy Students decided to give her heart to Christ. At just five years old, Jesselys told her teacher she was ready and went home to pray with her mother and father. “And then I went […]
Finding A Home Away From Home
At 13 years old, Genesis found herself at Teen Haven, tagging along with her older siblings. The people were friendly and inviting, but still, she says, “I didn’t want anything to do with Teen Haven.” Back then, Genesis was going through a transition in her life. While she was raised with a strong belief in […]
What Are Safe People?
When Deanna came back to Water Street, she sat back, watching everyone around her distrustfully. It was a massive step of faith to return to Water Street, knowing she had been a guest here before. Until then, life had taught her that maybe it’s better not to put your trust in people or even make […]
A Lifelong Learner
As Tamekia settles into her next art project, the words “Spread Your Wings and Fly” read across the page of her coloring book. She quickly chooses her colors and gets smoothly into the groove as she begins talking about her experiences at Water Street. These days, it’s becoming easier to keep positivity in her life. […]
A Gift From Sterling
It’s hard to imagine now, but Sterling came to Water Street shy and reserved. Due to his health, he was unable to work, but his friends wanted to make sure he was safe and brought him for an intake with Tjwana Reed, our Director of Access and Case Management. “I could tell he was so […]