Andrea’s Story
2020 Annual Appeal
We hope you find encouragement in Andrea’s story. Stay tuned for segments every week as we approach the end of the year.
THE IMPACT OF HOPE IS LONG LASTING
This year has been challenging for all of us as we have faced the challenges of COVID 19, systemic racism, and political polarization. We are together in our struggle to remain hopeful and grateful. We find Andrea’s story both gives us hope and fills us with gratitude. It shows us that our work at Community of Hope does have a lasting impact on the families we serve.
We are grateful for your contributions, especially during our annual appeal through the end of the year. They create hope and fill many lives with gratitude. Thank you so much! CLICK HERE to give today.
A year and a half ago, Andrea and her daughter Maizey moved into Hope House from Project Network, a residential drug treatment program that Andrea had just completed. Her son Angus first visited regularly and then moved back to be with Andrea and Maizey again after staying with his grandmother for a while.
Andrea told us, “I am very happy that I was given the opportunity to learn and grow at Community of Hope because I do not know what the outcome may have been had I remained in the other living situation or tried to do something else. The transition time that Community of Hope provided for me was vital in where I am now, and I am extremely grateful. I think one of the biggest things I really try to do now is continue to show others the kindness and compassion that I was shown during my time in this shelter and to be an example of the change I want to see in the world.”
Transitional housing enables Andrea to find stable housing
A year and a half ago, Andrea and her children, Angus and Maizey, moved into Hope House. She jumped into life here and quickly made friends, doing everything with all her heart. When Andrea qualified for Section 8 housing, she was excited but still needed to find a place. Community of Hope staff and our RentWell class helped her focus her search. Then Kelly and Sara Coho contacted us. Kelly said, “We have supported the Community of Hope from its beginnings so when our ADU opened up, we wanted to provide someone who had successfully completed the program a place to live. Andrea and her two kids moved in over a year ago and it has been amazing to see her grow as a person and as a mom. We believe that having stable housing relieves a huge burden and helps her to focus on other important matters.” It was a great match! Andrea and her family not only had a great place to live but they also had supportive relationships in the same building.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year 100% of those who completed our program found housing. Your contribution today, on Giving Tuesday, helps families find stable housing. Click HERE to give today.
Mentoring helps Andrea grow in her life skills
Andrea worked hard to establish a routine, attend outpatient treatment, budget, and develop a structure for her family while nurturing her relationships with her children. She found her regular conversations with all the staff helpful.
Andrea was very proactive in getting several things moving in the right direction. She filed for divorce, renewed her relationship with an older son, found childcare, and worked some odd jobs, while focusing on helping Angus get readjusted to living at home. She got him involved in healthy activities to help him recover from the challenges of her drug use and of not living with her. Andrea said, “The transition time that Community of Hope provided for me was vital in where I am now, and I am extremely grateful.”
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, families who completed an exit interview rose an average of 7.5% in their scores on a CD-RISC resiliency test compared to their scores during the entrance interview. Your contribution today gives the gift of dedicated, talented staff to mentor families like Andrea’s. Click HERE to give today.
Classes have lifelong impact on Andrea
Negotiating relationships was a big area of growth for Andrea. She began to learn to recognize positive relationships and to nurture them by working out difficulties. She also learned to set clear boundaries when relationships were not healthy. Through mentoring and the skills she learned in the Trauma Recovery, Parenting and Domestic Violence classes, she gained new insights and directions.
Linda Jo Devlaeminck, who taught the classes, reflects that, “Andrea eagerly participated in classes and took the information to heart. She had many conversations with staff about how to implement the skills in her life and relationships. It is such a blessing to see the changes in her life as a result of the simple information that has deep impact.”
Andrea continues to talk to others about the things she learned here. She has shared that she remembers and uses the information about forgiveness and reconciliation from one of the Trauma Recovery classes she took. It helps her to stay on the path to negotiate safe relationships.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, parents attended 374 hours of education to help them navigate parenting challenges. Your contribution today helps provide classes that have lifelong impact on parents like Andrea. Click HERE to give today.
Relationships create a community in which Andrea can thrive
Building relationships was another significant part of Andrea, Angus and Maizey’s time here. Even since they moved out, Andrea has come back to visit regularly. The relationships she developed here were significant to her. Angus continued to be friends with another boy who lived here, and Andrea would occasionally do some childcare for him when his mom needed it. She helped him get into a school program for kids that is helpful for both boys so that they could continue to be together.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, Community of Hope served 39 families, including 58 children. Your contribution helps create a community in which families can thrive. Click HERE to give today.
Giving back supports Andrea in achieving career goals
As much as Andrea grew in her own journey, she never quit thinking of others. She became active in neighborhood efforts to advocate for other families experiencing homelessness. She pursued relationships with folks in our neighborhood who live on the streets, sharing resources, food, and supplies with them and building friendships.
Lauren Hawk, a community housing advocate in North Portland, praised Andrea’s contribution. Lauren shared that, “Andrea uses the power of her story to compel and agitate others to action. She publicly shared her story in a meeting that recruited people to testify in favor of the zoning and code changes that went before City Council. Her ability to articulate what Community of Hope provided is profound and helps build creative imagination for future housing opportunities, and her story was an integral part of getting those changes made at the city level. She is bold, she is brave, and she is stirring the waters in our community in powerful and transformative ways.”
Andrea was recently certified as a Peer Mentor, a goal she has had since her time at Community of Hope. She regularly leads meetings to support peers in their recovery. She got her own car and runs a dog walking and grooming business as she looks for a job in her field. Andrea says, “I think one of the biggest things I really try to do now is continue to show others the kindness and compassion that I was shown during my time in this shelter and to be an example of the change I want to see in the world.”
Your contribution today helps parents achieve career goals. Its impact is multiplied when it enables families to give back to their community in amazing ways.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, 40% of those we served were BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or People of Color), who statistically have the highest risk of homelessness. Click HERE to give today so we can all have an impact in many family’s lives. r