HOUSED, NOW WHAT? MEET STEPHANI

When Stephani was a child, her parents divorced, and both moved to the Pacific Northwest. At age 11 , her mother became addicted to meth and at the same time, Stephani, and her sister began to experiment with drugs. Both Stephani and her sister went to live with their father in Vancouver. At age 17, she moved to California where she continued to use drugs. She didn’t consider herself homeless because she always had a car or a couch to sleep on, but never had a home of her own. Pregnant, she returned to Vancouver, and her stepmother helped her get sober. She got a job at a hospital, pulled her life back together, and gave birth to Cor’Dai and then Jer’Zie. After a few years, she relapsed and began to use drugs again. Her oldest child moved in with her father and stepmother, while her second child stayed with her child’s father. That left Stephani on the streets living in a car first, and then a tent.

A Native American family member encouraged her to get treatment at NARA (Native American Rehabilitation Association). After treatment, she was referred to Transition Projects and resided at Jean’s Place, Transition Projects’ residential shelter for women and gendernonconforming adults. Pregnant and needing to find an apartment before Saya was born, Stephani’s case managers helped guide her, and she utilized the support and tools offered to stabilize her life. When working on regaining and living with her children and finding a larger apartment, she was guided by housing case manager Gail, to permanent housing. “She did all the hard work,” Gail said.

Today, Stephani has nearly completed her certification as a recovery mentor, and she has been sober and housed since 2017.

“My clean date is September 4, 2017, and I got full custody of Jer’zie on September 4, 2019, so I had two reasons to celebrate.”

Your donations and support help make her tomorrow possible! Stephani is one of the thousands of participants who come through our doors each year looking for stability.