Eba'Nesha's Story

For Eba’Nesha, life has been challenging. Hearing other kids talk about family vacations, gatherings, or even simple shopping trips to the mall triggers a bit of envy. Yes, Eba’Nesha admits all those things sound like so much fun but that has not been her reality. Her main concern is always figuring out her next move. When she says the next move, that is what she means literally.

Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, Eba’Nesha lived primarily with her grandmother. At the same time her mother, who was caring for an infant, worked to create a stable living environment. Although going back and forth between the two houses, Eb'Nesha reunited full time with her mother who had moved to Evansville, Indiana, by the start of her second-grade year. Over the next six years despite a few discipline problems in school and at home, Eba’Nesha would make lots of friends and learn to play basketball, which she loves. Everything appeared to be going well and Eba’Nesha had plans to try out for her middle school basketball team.

However, during this time, her mother had problems finding work in Evansville so she moved to Indianapolis to improve the family situation. It was Fall Break, Eba’Nesha's 8th grade school year, that she, her little brother, and mother settled in south Indianapolis. She was the new kid at Decatur middle school. Academics were a challenge because things were a bit different than her school in Evansville. It was also challenging to make new friends, but all that would change when she made the basketball team and became one of the best players. Life was good, her grades were good, and the new friendships were great. Becoming a player on the high school basketball team was one of her goals going into high school.

For her mother, finding opportunities in Indianapolis was difficult. After seven months in Indy and with just one day left in the school year, her mother moved the family to Owensboro, Kentucky, renting a room in a friend's house. Eba’Nesha's mother found work, but the living situation would only last a few months before the friend asked her mother to leave.

It was Freshman year for Eba’Nesha at Owensboro High School. A new environment and establishing new friendships was nothing new. What was new was the living arrangement; the family was now living at the Daniel Pitino homeless shelter just as the school year started. Eba’Nesha was unhappy and confused while her mother was under a lot of stress, trying to adjust to the strict shelter rules. There was a pickup and drop off stop at the shelter for students. However, if the parents were not present when the bus returned after school, there would be trouble. It wasn't easy to be on the evening bus stop for her mother who was working at a hotel. This violation, along with a few others and not keeping up with the daily chores got them kicked out of the shelter.

Needing an immediate place to stay, a co-worker at the hotel that Eba'Nesha's mother befriended provided a room in her one-room apartment, which she and her boyfriend shared. The space offered to live and sleep for them was the living room. It was during this time that Eba’Nesha reconnected with Girls Inc., a national youth development organization dedicated to inspiring girls to be STRONG, SMART, and BOLD. With the programs, counselors, and a place to go after school, Eba’Nesha finally had a bit of structure and a routine. She made lots of friends and also returned to the basketball floor to compete. For a while, under the circumstances, things were as every day as they could be. All this would change when the co-worker and her boyfriend moved back home to North Carolina to be closer to family.

Since there was nowhere else to go, Eba’Nesha, her little brother, and mother remained in the apartment even after Owensboro Municipal Utilities turned off the electricity. The landlord would eventually remove and trash all their belongings, including personal items and a sofa, one day while everyone was away from the apartment. Arriving home after attending Girls, Inc., Eba’Nesha learned from her mother after she verified with the police that everything was gone. Scared, sad, disappointed, and alone that night, the police escorted them to CrossRoads, a shelter that combats poverty and homelessness in Daviess County, Kentucky. This shelter was different because it was one big room, each person got an air mattress and there were no showers.

Everyone had their little area with totes for all belongings. During the day, everybody had to leave the shelter and could not return until six in the evening. In the mornings, Eba'Nesha and her mother would take a cab to the YMCA to shower. They would then split up for the day with her mother going to work and Eba’Nesha walking to school. Her little brother was staying with his father.

In the afternoons, the school-provided bus service, which dropped Eba’Nesha off at Girls, Inc. By the time the program was over in the evening, the shelter would reopen. Making the best of the situation, Eba’Nesha joined the Girls Freshman basketball team and played point guard while maintaining good grades. Her mother received assistance during the shelter stay as well. She enrolled in a program and over the months, received help in finding a house. Eba’Nesha celebrated her 16th birthday the day before the family moved into their new home. She also got her first job as a host at Olive Garden, began paying for braces to straighten her teeth, and was nominated for the Strong, Smart, and Bold young women award in the 15-16 age division through Girls Inc. Life was good and everything was finally falling into place.

However, with the possibility of making more money and perhaps even better opportunities, her mother moved back to Indianapolis, hoping things would work this time around. After a week-long stay at Motel 6 in Southport, they moved to Holy Family Shelter of St. Clair Street in Haughville. It would be a while before Eba’Nesha enrolled at George Washington High School to resume her sophomore year. The constant moving took a toll on her to the point that she was behind in just about every critical subject area. Her attendance began to dwindle to the point where she stopped attending school.

Although still enrolled, it would be three months before she would return. During this time, her mother had a job and found an apartment. However, it was located on the westside of Indianapolis outside of the boundary for Washington High School. It was midway through the second semester of the 2016-2017 school year when Eba’Nesha's mother contacted Pike High School to enroll her. Due to it being so late in the semester, Pike's e-learning was the only option available, which she completed by the end of the year.

That summer Eba' Nesha went back to Owensboro to visit family and friends. It was supposed to be a two-week stay but it turned into the entire summer. She was still in Kentucky when the school year started. A friend who Eba’Nesha babysat for in Kentucky mentioned that she knew a lady from Owensboro, living in Indianapolis, looking for a nanny to care for her son. With the possibility of work, Eba’Nesha went back to Indianapolis to start her junior year at Pike High School eight days after the fall semester started.

Although Eba’Nesha had lots of experience dealing with change in her life, walking the school hallways with over 3,200 students and not knowing any of them was a considerable change. Feeling overwhelmed, she didn't like Pike and didn't think the school was for her. Soon she began meeting lots of friends. Still having trouble with her core subject areas, Eba’Nesha developed relationships with her teachers to get extra assistance. RDTV broadcasting was a class she enjoyed most for many reasons, but perhaps her teacher was the biggest reason.

A no-nonsense motherly woman who believed in tough love, Eba’Nesha trusted her and often went to her seeking advice about school work and life. At home, Eba’Nesha and her mother met the lady from Owensboro looking for a sitter for her son. The meeting went well, and Eba’Nesha became her nanny. Eba’Nesha also found a job as a host at a Chili's restaurant on west 38th Street.

By early 2019, her mother had a plan to move to the eastside of Indianapolis. However, the government assistance she was receiving for housing ran out. Faced with moving back to Kentucky with her mother, Eba’Nesha decided to stay in Indianapolis to finish school. The lady who she was working for as a nanny let her move in. The apartment was small and only allowed for Eba’Nesha to have a couch for sleep. But she made the best of her new living situation. For the remainder of her junior and senior year, Eba’Nesha worked at the Chili's restaurant, worked as a nanny, and worked hard to become a member of the 2020 graduating class of Pike High School. Eba’Nesha now resides in a transitional housing program for homeless youth and is enrolled at IVY Tech State College.

BoldlyU Magazine