Our House e-newsletter October & November 2013 | Page 23

her that she would see me
again the next day. And the
day after that. By 6 p.m. the
following day, when I came
to check on her at dinner,
she had already made a
friend, Hunter, a boy who
goes to Our Club. He lived
in The Shelter a few years
ago and still comes every
day after school four years
after his first day at The
Shelter.
This is what Our House
does. We take six-year-olds
who have witnessed awful
things and give them their
childhoods back. We let little
girls be fairy princesses.
We provide shelter. We let
families settle in. We let
children know where they
will sleep the next day and
the day after. We give kids
consistency where there was
none. Friendships that can
last for years. Stability that
can begin to wash away all of
the trauma and uncertainty
of the past.
For the family’s safety, the little
girl in this article is not in any of
the photos on these pages. The
people in these photos, taken on
Halloween morning, are other
clients & staff of Our House.