Yvonne Rediscovers Herself
“I experienced a lot of struggles and trauma in my life. I knew pain all too well. The very first time I experienced homelessness, I became very angry, and I closed people out. I wasn’t taking accountability for the part I played in my challenges.
“It’s easy to become closed off to the rest of the world. But in doing that, you are closing doors and blocking blessings. That only leads to more anger and more closed off-ness – like you have no trust left.
“It was a dark place that I realized I didn’t want to go back to.
“I was familiar with Cara through the DHS offices. I originally enrolled in the program in 2018, but I had just given birth to my second child, and I missed my orientation date.
“Years went by and I was starting to do alright. But then I encountered some legal troubles. It made me realize that I needed to do something more gainful with my life. I didn’t want to become someone who fell so far behind that there was no hope left for my future, especially being a mom of three children.
“I knew I still had a lot of good to give.
“I have three children, and I want them to be able to form healthy relationships and give back to the people in their lives. I want to become a homeowner and create generational wealth and freedom for my children. My goal is that they never have to encounter the hardships and negative milestones that I had to overcome.
“That’s when I saw the Cleanslate sign at 60th and Wentworth from the Red Line. I decided it was time to move forward and make positive changes. When you know better, you do better – and it was time for me to apply myself and do better.
“Coming into Cara, I was lacking confidence in certain areas of my life. I didn’t have consistency in employment. I didn’t have a deep understanding of the importance of having career longevity.
“What I like about being in a community like Cara, is you get to bring a team mentality and help build each other up. Being able to step out of my own shoes and step into someone else’s to see lives through different perspectives. It showed how my own negative behaviors were impacting me. It challenged me to understand myself better.
“Today, I feel like I have already made tremendous growth. I recently had two interviews. I was able to walk into them with a lot of confidence. I felt like a boss when I looked at myself in the mirror. Even though I am not there yet, my future already feels bright.“
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