Success Stories

Dan
..."I'm 34, and I grew up in Exeter.  I have a good work history, except for a couple of years. Now I'm working 12 and 13 hour days, 6 days a week.  And on Sundays I work another job. I like to keep busy."

Dan has struggled to overcome many obstacles over the past few years. He had a difficult time dealing with the loss of a job he had held for 12 years.  He had always been a drinker, but now he had a new reason. 

Dan has been fighting his addiction for quite a while now, but is glad to report that he's been clean for over a year.

"I feel great about that, but I can't get too proud of it.  I still have to wake up every day and say 'I'm going to stay sober today."  I know how easy it is to have a relapse.  I've done it before..."

Kevin
...Kevin's mother-in-law told him that he needed to get away from the crowd he was hanging with - they were trouble. He came to theReading-Berks Emergency Shelter for some direction. Although he only stayed for 6 weeks, his case worker, Delia, helped him get his life in order.  Now he's working full time as a fry cook.  His family has joined him here in Reading, and they are working with Delia to see if they can buy a house of their own sometime soon. 

Thank you for allowing us to offer a "hand up" to those clients that truly need it.  Because of the strong support the Reading-Berks Emergency Shelter receives from the community, many of our guests have a better chance to become self-sufficient, contributing members of our community.

Christina
...Christina's been bringing her children to the Second Street Learning Center for two years.  She has changed jobs a few times and with each change her working hours were altered.  She thought she might have to find new day care arrangements, but was glad to hear that the Center's hours had expanded to first and second shift care in 1997.

However, even with this expansion, she was late for work every day because the center opened at 6 a.m.- exactly  when she was scheduled to start.  Now that we are open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, she is starting her work day on time.

Bobbi
...Bobbi and her two daughters have lived at the shelter a few times over the past few years.  She has overcome many things in this time, but has found the step from dependent shelter life to complete independence too large an obstacle to overcome.   Bobbi and her family have recently graduated from our transitional housing program. 

By offering an intermediate step - independent living with direct access to shelter services and ongoing counseling - Bobbi gained the skills she needs to make it on her own.

Sol Maria
...Sol Maria is an assistant teacher at the Second Street Learning Center.  She enjoys working with the school age children and has become a main-stay of the Center's staff. She just moved into a house not far away from work and within days made it a home for her two daughters and her son who visits quite often.

Sol Maria's story sounds like that of most single parents struggling to make a good life for their children.  But in fact, Sol Maria has made a lot of progress from the welfare dependent young lady who came to the shelter just a few short years ago.

Sol Maria still faces times of crisis every now and then; financial struggles, family difficulties, car troubles, health worries for her dad and children and a score of other day-to-day things to occupy her mind...but she's working through them one at a time.