Hello,
My name is Jasmine and I want to share my story with you. I am currently 23 years old with a 3- year-old son that I love with all of my heart. Three and a half years ago I was barely about to graduate high school, and I was taking care of my three younger siblings with little help. I also had to deal with hearing my mother complain or threaten to kick me out of the house constantly. My father was in and out of jail, and I only saw him twice before 2013 when he decided to move in with us. Everybody that knows me knows that I didn’t have a really good childhood. I almost failed high school because nobody cared about my grades or how I was doing. This extremely affected me to the point where I began to not care if I graduated or not. Luckily, I had a great mentor who cared about me and helped me graduate in 2013.
Fast forward to the summer of 2013…this is when my life changed. My mother said I had to leave and almost stabbed me, so I ran out of the house and never went back. I was homeless, jobless, and struggling. I moved from family members’ houses and then couch-hopped at friends’ houses. On December 17, 2013, I found out that I was 6 months pregnant by a guy that I barely talked to at the time and had no idea what to do. I was sleeping on my cousin’s couch while pregnant. April 16, 2014, I had an emergency c- section and gave birth to a handsome boy named Jeremiah. Luckily, my sister’s stepmom let me stay at her house after I had my son. However, it was a temporary living situation. I contacted Coordinated Service Planning and they told me about a program called Assisting Young Mothers (now called Second Story for Young Mothers).
I went through the whole process of applying, interviewing and completing a mental health assessment. My life changed when I got that call and was informed that I could move in. I was so happy because life finally started to look up for me and my son. I was able to hope again. In Second Story for Young Mothers, the rules at first were hard to get used to: curfew, chores, groups, case management, and therapy sessions once a week. Before Second Story for Young Mothers I never worked a day in my life, and I didn’t have access to affordable childcare.
Being in Second Story for Young Mothers helped me tremendously with getting my first job, saving money, working with my child developmentally and being a better person in general. I was the biggest complainer when it came to groups on Monday and Tuesdays. Especially if the weather was bad, even if I knew I still had to come I would still complain. (: But the staff worked with me, and continued to encourage me on moving towards my goals to become self-sufficient. They never gave up on me.
They referred me to an internship for childcare, and I was able to get hired afterwards. With this steady job, I was able to save way more money and accomplish my short-term goals I had set for myself in Second Story for Young Mothers. I was able to graduate to Second Story for Young Mothers Next Steps, and soon afterwards I was granted the opportunity to be accepted to Bridging Affordability.
Bridging Affordability was a huge accomplishment for me because it finally provided stability for me and my son. It was our first apartment that I was proud of, and I could not have gotten there without the help of Second Story for Young Mothers staff. During my two years in Bridging Affordability I have kept my job, gotten my CDA (Child Development Associate Credential), saved money, and accomplished more goals that I set for myself. I also was able to go back to school and I learned to pay my bills on time. During this time I also got my driver’s license and a car, and even went to a First Time Home Buyers certificate course.
When I leave Bridging Affordability I will be taking all the knowledge and life skills that I have learned for the past 3 and a half years. My son and I are truly blessed to have the opportunity to have been at Second Story for Young Mothers, Second Story for Young Mothers Next Steps, and Bridging Affordability. I know for a fact that I will miss Ms. Angel. She is such a hard worker and just really wants the best for all the young mothers that she encounters. I will never forget this program and all that it helped me with. My son and I will forever be better because of Second Story for Young Mothers.
Thank you,
Jasmine
