Back on her feet
It all began with a traffic accident that totaled her car.
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Rita ended up severely injured her hand which required surgery and a lengthy recuperation.
At the time, Rita was working at a convenience store. It was tough, but she was getting by. Initially, her boss was willing to accommodate her reduced work schedule as she healed. But, eventually, her hours were cut back to just two days a week.
With no car to drive, she was forced to use a ride-sharing service. But that cost $30 each way, which really cut into her already small paycheck. What was left wasn’t enough to pay the space rent on her mobile home.
From there, things just spiraled out of control. “After my car accident, I tried any little job to stay afloat,” she says. “I had no money, no car, no way to pay my bills. So I was forced to sell my mobile home.”
It was a quick, shocking fall into homelessness. Rita found herself alone on the streets. “It was very scary,” she says. “I always feared someone would hurt or kill me or rob me. I nodded off only for a few minutes here and there. I slept with my purse under me, because I didn’t want to get robbed.”
Sometimes, she’d sleep in the breezeway alongside a church. “They helped me a lot,” says Rita. “My faith grew too, which helped me to hold on.”
A new life at Metro
Somehow, Rita managed to survive. And after four hard, terrifying months on the street, she heard about Metropolitan Ministries. She applied for assistance. After getting a call from us, she thought, “Now I can get my life back together. I can save money and do what I need to do to be independent again.”
Rita knew she was finally going to be safe. She could sleep without worrying about someone trying to harm her. “I could focus on doing what I need to do to be successful and get back on my own two feet.”
Thanks to you, Rita has been able to train for work as a certified medical assistant. This will mean a better-paying job. She says, “My dream was to work at a doctor’s office and not have to live paycheck to paycheck. I’ll never have to put myself in this situation again.”
To you and other Metro partners, Rita says, “Thank you for giving people like me a place we can come to get back on our feet. Here, you’re given the chance. If you take it, you will succeed. This place has done so much more for me. When I’m able to, I will return and give back.”
“[Metro] has done so much for me. I feel like I’ve been set up for success.” — Rita
When someone like Rita finds new life at Metropolitan Ministries, so many others are affected. Hope multiplies when you give. Please send your
best gift today!