YOUR SUPPORT MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN KAYLA’S JOURNEY!

Today, Kayla dreams big and lives with high hopes.

Like all of us, she faces difficulties: car repairs, sick children, winter weather hassles. Yet enormous barriers that that seemed impossible a year ago are gone, and she’s a business owner in charge of her own future.

Kayla came with her children to YWCA Emergency Shelter in 2022 broke, devastated, and escaping a financial abuser.

She found safety, food, clothing and – importantly – healing human kindness and support, thanks to YWCA supporters. Her own determination and hard work set her life back on track.

Kayla was fleeing a manipulator who exploited her through marriage. After two years, she realized her second husband’s interests had been her paycheck for rent and her savings to pay down his large credit card debt. Entirely changed from the man he posed as when they dated, his language had become demeaning and escalated in aggression.

She knew the relationship was over, yet had no financial means to leave. Facing homelessness, she came to YWCA.

A truly invaluable resource at YWCA, Kayla says, was a financial curriculum we offered among our many employment and education resources. We help women explore their skillsets, prepare a budget, and focus their goals on a vocation with living wages.

With three children, Kayla knew she needed more than minimum wage. Empowered through her learning and budget preparation, she began to consider renewing her skills and opening a hair salon of her own.

The team at YWCA got fully behind her as she researched sites and applied for a salon license, next helping garner supplies and creating colored flyers at our computer center.

Her YWCA advocate Liz helped Kayla search and secure safe, affordable housing near the future salon. Opening in the fall, her appointment book is beginning to fill.

Liz was Kayla’s biggest supporter.

“Kayla is so bubbly and happy. She is truly a joy and a sweet human being who very easily connects with people. I’ll continue to support her the next several months in our follow-up program, and independence is well within her reach.”

As a YWCA supporter, you were alongside Kayla, too, providing her stable emergency shelter for several months. Someone very special shopped for her children to have school clothing and supplies in our Adopt a Student program, and others provided gifts through Adopt a Family holiday program.