Courage to Begin Again: Daria’s Story of Resilience
Daria entered the Loisann’s House Family Emergency Shelter after fleeing domestic violence and seeking a safe and stable place to reside with her 8-year-old daughter.
Daria was from Egypt and did not have documentation, which made it challenging for her to obtain housing or employment now that she was the sole provider for her and her child – a challenge several women experience in domestic violence situations.
Upon entering our shelter program, Daria applied for her work visa, dual citizenship for her daughter, and enrolled in English as a Second Language courses. She met with her caseworker weekly and quickly began making progress, completing Level 1 and 2 English classes while residing at the shelter and obtaining her work visa within 3 months.
Her daughter had not reached her milestones for reading levels and had the support of an ESL teacher and tutors from the University of Mary Washington that provide services on site at Loisann’s Hope House. With a strong partnership and the support of the Hope House team, her daughter overcame her delay in reading comprehension and made significant progress in school. While staying at our shelter, she enjoyed the YMCA summer camp program, field trips to the FredNats game, and weekly activities Loisann’s Hope House provided – especially our summer game day.
Once Daria received her visa she started as a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) and completed the 4- week training to receive her certification. Daria was awarded employee of the month 1 month after starting work.
Daria enrolled in our Rapid Rehousing services and was approved for a two-bedroom unit in Fredericksburg City. Shortly after securing housing, Daria utilized her budgeting skills and purchased her first vehicle to assist with work and childcare. Daria is actively engaged in our program for case management support to ensure her family fully stabilizes.
Loisann’s Hope House provided a safe environment to transition Daria and her child into their own place to call home, and supported their unique needs to promote family stability and overall wellbeing.
