Before life fell apart, Angela and her fiancé were doing everything “right.” They had a small place of their own, two bright-eyed kids and steady jobs. “Life was really stable,” she remembers. Then a family member needed a place to stay. What started as helping turned into bills going unpaid, tensions rising, and rent that kept climbing even as the apartment became less secure. “With the cost of living going up, it just wasn’t livable anymore,” Angela says. “We were both working, and it still wasn’t enough.”

Pride kept her from asking for help at first. She’d heard the rumors—if you go to a shelter, you’ll lose your kids—and that fear nearly kept her away. But at the welfare office, someone suggested calling 211. Within two days, she was at Water Street for intake “Ms. Sabrina encouraged me to focus on the positives.” The worry she carried—especially about her children—started to loosen its grip.

“Knowing they’re safe gave me space to work on myself. They inspire me. No matter what’s going on, they’re always smiling.”
– Angela, Water Street Guest

The early days were still hard. Angela and her fiancé stayed in separate areas, and the change stung. But in June, the family entered Water Street’s Residential Program. Classes like Healthy Relationships, Boundaries, Core Identity, Alpha, and Job Readiness began to rebuild the inside of life while shelter and meals steadied the outside. “Doing the classes together built our relationship. We’re closer now than we’ve ever been.”

Her kids flourished in Children’s Ministry with Ms. Mariah—learning, playing, and coming upstairs eager to teach Mom what they’d learned. “Knowing they’re safe gave me space to work on myself,” Angela says. “They inspire me. No matter what’s going on, they’re always smiling.”

“Before I came to Water Street, I was depressed. Now I’m enthusiastic. I speak up. I have boundaries. I know who my safe people are. And I know we have a community.”
– Angela, Water Street Guest

Angela also returned to a field she once set aside: serving older adults. She got a job housekeeping at a local nursing home and found herself welcomed back by residents who remembered her. “Even though it’s ‘just housekeeping,’ seeing someone smile because their room is clean and cared for— that fills me up.”

Faith became the thread weaving it all together. Angela grew up around church but never really knew God personally. Chapel, mentors, and quiet moments of prayer changed that. “I found out I’m a strong, independent woman—and God is with me at all times,” she says.

If you ask Angela what she would tell another parent who’s scared to seek help, she doesn’t hesitate: “Your kids stay with you. It’s safe. Doors are badge-locked. If you need help, Water Street is the place to go.” She’s quick to push back on stereotypes, too. “A lot of us are working. Sometimes the math just doesn’t work—rent rises, pay doesn’t.”

“Before I came to Water Street, I was depressed,” Angela says. “Now I’m enthusiastic.
I speak up. I have boundaries. I know who my safe people are. And I know we have
a community.”

Her hope? A home where the four of them are under wone roof again. Until then, she’s saving, learning, serving, and leaning on a simple promise: with God, all things
are possible.