Nora had a plan; when the lease expired on her apartment, she lined up a new place to live and a roommate to share the costs. Everything was perfect until the roommate backed out in the last minute. Nora and her four young teens were homeless. With no place left to turn, they lived in their car for two weeks before coming to the Rescue Mission Alliance San Fernando Valley.

“The first couple of days we were homeless were the hardest. I tried to cover up a lot and I apologized to my kids over and over. They just said ‘It’s okay mom, we’re together.’

Being at the shelter allowed Nora the few weeks of respite she needed to turn things around. “We didn’t know what to expect. We settled into our room. The devotions, meals, parenting and life skills classes were all really helpful.   After being at the mission two weeks I was hired at a new job. The shelter helped me put some structure back into our lives. Getting back to work, getting kids in the right schools, and having a place to stay was a huge relief. It helped us get back on our feet.”

Perhaps more important were the lessons Nora learned about life, lessons that she will take with her on her journey to self-sufficiency, “They helped with getting back into church on Sundays. I learned a lot about patience with my kids. I was able to focus on my family during my stay at the shelter. When you don’t have you worry about your rent and bills you can focus on getting your family back where they need to be. I learned a lot about how to cope with things that go on in life. I learned to not give up and to keep going no matter how hard it seems.”

With her homelessness behind her, Nora offered this advice to others experiencing homelessness, “Don’t give up. As hard as it is you are going to get through it. It’s not forever. It’s just temporary.”