“MVK gave us security and helped me get my housing. I know what it is to be completely homeless and lost. That will never happen again.”
Stephanie and 4 year old daughter Brooklyn hadn’t eaten in two days when they arrived at Martha’s Village & Kitchen. They were left at a gas station in Las Vegas. Stephanie had to panhandle to rent hotel rooms so Brooklyn could sleep in a bed at night.
“I had to let my daughter sleep on buses until we could afford to leave Vegas and get to Martha’s Village & Kitchen to be safe and be able to get on our feet.”
When they arrived to MVK they ate dinner and stayed in the emergency shelter until a room became available.
“When I got to MVK, it was our first meal in two days. The staff is amazing and super nice. They helped us in so many ways.”
They moved into their own room and worked with their Case Worker to make a plan to be self-sufficient.
While Stephanie resided at MVK, she attended a few of the classes offered in the Career and Education Center. The Healthy Family Class taught her that nothing is impossible, never give up, have faith and to keep pushing herself.
“My favorite thing about MVK is that you get your own room, it makes you feel safe. I love the families upstairs. We helped each other out, we were like a village of people.”
Stephanie loved to be active and in addition to attending classes, she liked helping in the kitchen before dinner.
“My favorite thing to do was chore in the kitchen. The kitchen staff are super friendly and I liked being able to help out and do normal things.”
Stephanie graduated the program successfully, moving into her new home right before Brooklyn started school. She plans on buying a car and going back to school herself.
“I want to walk out of MVK and never look back. I will work hard to stay on my feet and never fall down again.”