Moving to California was a difficult decision for Markita, but her mother was sick and needed her help. She decided to go on medical leave from her job and make the move, along with her two children, to care for her mother during her time of need. As her mother recovered, Markita began preparing to go back home, but her job denied her request to come back to work. A couple of weeks later, her mother’s apartment complex told her that she needed to leave or her mother would be evicted.

“I did not want my mom to become homeless, so I packed my kids up and I left,” Markita said. “That’s when the journey began.” That night, she slept in her car with her two children. Markita was determined to find shelter, but it wasn’t easy. After being denied at several other shelters, she found a safe place for her family here at the Mission. “The Rescue Mission took us in with open arms, and ever since we arrived, they have been nothing but kind to us. They have given us a sense of security.”

Markita knew that she needed to find employment and start a new career, so that became her top priority. She found a job to begin providing for her family again and started taking classes to become a certified bus driver for Los Angeles Unified School District. “The Mission has brought me so much joy,” she said. “I have learned so many things that I didn’t know about myself. I have done so many things I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing.”

Markita is now employed with the school district and received keys to a home (and a new future) for her family. “I have set so many goals for myself and my family that I have accomplished. I am forever grateful for the Rescue Mission Alliance San Fernando Valley.”