“You Believed in Me” — Sandra’s Story

Sandra didn’t know how she was going to provide for herself or her son. Thanks to you, she found a new path of hope!

“The only thing I was thinking about was surviving.”

Sandra’s words are ones we hear often from single mothers who walk through our doors. She came to us feeling stuck, inadequate, and unsure she’d ever be able to achieve the goals in her life. “I didn’t really see a future for myself,” she says.

A year after having her son, things started unraveling for Sandra. On top of struggling with postpartum depression, her relationship with her child’s father was going downhill. They ended up getting evicted from their apartment.

Looking for an escape from the unhealthy relationship, Sandra decided to move in with her sister. But that wasn’t much better. “She was very mentally abusive to me and my son,” she says.

Sandra had no voice of encouragement telling her she was capable. Despite the setbacks in her life, she completed schooling and certification to become a nursing assistant — all the while working a full-time job. But taking the leap into her dream career felt like too big a risk. What if she couldn’t get her foot in the door? If she left her current job, she’d have no income to pay the bills or care for her son.

“I had no motivation, no support system, no nothing. It was just me and my son,” she says. “I couldn’t save anything. And one day, I just got fed up.”

Sandra was on her last string of hope when she heard about Metro Ministries and our transitional housing programs for families. It was an opportunity that changed her future for the better.

Sandra says when she walked through our doors, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. “I was at peace and felt relieved. I knew no one was going to talk down to me. I felt welcomed, loved, and not judged.”

Thanks to you, Sandra and her son had all of their physical and emotional needs met. The single mother no longer had to focus on surviving. She could finally take steps toward the life she dreamed of building for herself and her little boy. “I thought it was too late for me to consider even trying to start my nursing career,” says Sandra.

“Now, I see a future for myself and my son.”

Sandra’s ceiling is higher than it’s ever been. You helped her see that she’s full of potential and capable of all the things people told her she couldn’t do. She’s continuing to take steps toward lasting stability and is applying for hospital jobs.

“You invested in me. You believed in me,” she says through tears of gratitude. “I don’t know how to say thank you. This saved my life.”

Your gift today will cause a ripple effect of hope in our Tampa Bay community so more neighbors like Sandra can build brighter futures!