Theresa
Teresa has been living in Arlington since 1975 . She ’ s an extremely hard worker and , several years ago , ran her very own cleaning company . Teresa cleaned houses for a living and did well for herself until the pandemic hit . Trying to keep the business going took a serious toll on her finances , so she decided to let it go . But Teresa didn ’ t lose her determination to persevere - she began cleaning hotel rooms to pay bills . Unfortunately , the income she received wasn ’ t enough to keep up with the rising cost of living and that is how she found herself at Arlington Life Shelter .
A few weeks into her stay , Teresa was diagnosed with cancer . Shelter staff and case managers were there to let Teresa know that she wouldn ’ t have to fight this battle alone .
’[ The Shelter ] has been the biggest blessing in my life ,’’ Teresa says . ‘’ We all need a hand up sometimes .’’
While at the shelter , Teresa took a class on coping to help come to terms with her illness and got counseling through resources at the Shelter as well . Staff were able to help her navigate her medical issues as she worked through our program . After a few months , things began looking up and she moved into a new apartment . Teresa even maintains a support group with other women from the shelter who also completed the program to uplift one another and give back to the homeless in Arlington .
Joseph
Joseph was just looking for a place to lay his head , but what he found at the Arlington Life Shelter was the support he needed to begin the next chapter of his life at North American University in Houston . Joseph was living at a relative ’ s home before being asked to move out . For several months , he lived with friends until he heard about the Shelter . Though Joseph had a scholarship already in place , he says it was only after his stay at the Shelter that he was truly able to concentrate on the things he needed to do to make his education goals a reality .
Shelter staff were able to help Joseph prepare with the school supplies , transportation , COVID-19 testing , and physicals he needs in order to attend school classes and live on campus . All of this helped make his dream to study criminal justice a reality a few weeks at the shelter and Joseph headed off to his first year of college with the support and encouragement he needed to succeed .