Impact Stories

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

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

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

At a young age, Randy was introduced to alcohol by his youth pastor. Even though he hated seeing what drinking did to his father, he

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

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,

Work till you drop. That seemed like Jim’s mantra for many years. “Working 8 to 12 hour days, seven, eight, nine days a week!” he

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

With a squirmy 10 month old in her arms, Beth came to the Access Center for the first time. The idea of spending the night

Hannah joined our team in the fall of 2020, as a Nurse Care Manager. In her role, Hannah spends a lot of her time meeting

Michael came to Water Street looking for some temporary respite. He didn’t know how long it would take to find that rest, but when he

When Daniel first came to Water Street back in 2018, life had brought him to the brink. “I thought I was broken. I thought I

Maribella* opened her book, and read aloud in class. At the beginning of the year, she struggled to remember the sounds to each letter. Now,

Many times, the stories we tell are complex. Guests come to us from across Lancaster County for different reasons, and those reasons aren’t always easily

We last heard from Sadé in 2019, featured in the Fall Messenger Edition. Back then, overcoming the abuse she received as a child, had often

“I’ll just keep running away, you know,” Max would say to his guardians. As a young ward of the state, he was always trying to

For years, stability didn’t seem attainable to Roger. No matter where he went, running away from his childhood and joining the military, or starting a

John came to Water Street thinking he would get in, get what he needed, and get out. “My plan at the time was I’ll go,

In high school, Sharon was one of those teenagers who exuded confidence. She was a daddy’s girl, a cheerleader, and with her family behind her,

Constant shifting with COVID-19 has meant our campus is finding new ways to adapt each week. Many of our guests feel the impact of these

Gertina had reached the point of exhaustion. Growing up in New York and raising a family in a dangerous area, situations had led her to

From the time he was 15 Austin spent a lifetime running from his problems by using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate and escape from conflict

Growing up in the projects of North Philadelphia, Bill got caught in a grip of addiction that would stay with him into adulthood. Despite his

James struggled with alcohol for many years to the point where his wife told him to leave. He bounced from rehabs to halfway houses and

Born in the Bronx in 1952, Santiago Milland didn’t have an easy childhood. After his father left when he was 2, he had several step

This wasn’t how Emily had envisioned her life. She was stuck in a cycle of moving around with her boyfriend and longed for stability. She

Being born in Rwanda during a time of civil war made for a tough upbringing for John Rushemeza. He recalls that at 9 years old,

Growing up in Harlem was not easy for Patricia. A culture of poverty, drugs and alcohol did little to inspire a positive vision for the

Louisa was at the Community Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC) for about a week before it sunk in. “I had my own apartment for five months prior,

“Good morning, do you need a shower today, and how about any laundry…do you have laundry that needs to be cleaned?” asked Marilyn O’Bryan, one