From Tent to Tiny Home
Meet Michél
When Michél was 9 years old, the only person she knew and loved could no longer take care of her, and she entered foster care. After aging out of state custody at 18, she spent ten years struggling to maintain stable housing. She recounts, "It scared me how comfortable I had become living outside and it caused me to start to pray. Over time, I began to believe that God was real and, despite my life of trials, He loved me and wanted more for my life."
COVID 19: Homeless Again
Last year, Michél enrolled in Columbia College to begin preparing herself to become a counselor so she could help others who had walked paths similar to hers. In April, she had to move out of her dorm when COVID 19 shut down the campus and, she once again found herself homeless.
God is my Strength!
Michél called Love INC to get help creating a plan to move forward with her life. While talking to her service coordinator at Love INC, she said, “God is my biggest strength. With God, there is nothing I can’t overcome.” Earlier this year Michél felt prompted to write down what she had been praying for - a car. But not just any car, a free car. This would be both her transportation and home; however, God had bigger plans.
Tiny Home
Last year, Hany White, former Heart of Missouri United Way staff member, reached out to us for help identifying individuals experiencing homelessness who might be interested in moving into the tiny home her husband Curtis had built next to their church in Clarence, Missouri. They wanted to pilot a program that could provide both housing solutions and service opportunities to rural churches. Each church would provide support for a year and, if the resident could then maintain the home themselves, it would be given to them.
Answered Prayer
On the very day Hany and Curtis were praying for new resident, Megan Larson, Love INC Clearinghouse Coordinator, called to tell them about Michél. Not only were they happy to accept her but, as providence would have it, Hany already knew Michele as she had lived at a facility where Hany had worked. As a further "coincidence", Hany was serving as a counseling professor at the very college Michél had hoped to attend.
Car donors to the Rescue!
The only barrier to moving forward was that Michél had no car. Past experience had shown Hany and Curtis that transportation was needed for success in their rural community. Wonderfully, six donors responded to our recent request for donated cars and, last week, Michél drove away to her new life. We look forward to telling the stories of five more changed lives!