Page 18 - Our Hands SPRING 2019

NEW AMERICANSFAMILY CENTER

IMPACTING LIVES AT THE SAMARITAS FAMILY CENTER

THREE FAMILIES WHO HAVE BEEN HELPED

Pamela Morris* arrived to the center
in February of this year. She was
homeless after being evicted from
the home she shared with her
significant other at the time. Pamela
has three children, ages 9, 2 and 1
years old. When she arrived to the
Family Center she decided it was best
to end that relationship and focus on
herself and her children. While living
at the center she was able to secure housing, get services
started for her children and begin to heal from the
domestic violence she had experienced in her previous
relationship. Ms. Morris was able to secure funding to help
with her housing expenses and with a referral to Humble
Design she was able to get the home furnishings she
needed to make her house feel like a home.

Sara Robbins* arrived to the center last September
Audrey Cole* arrived to the center last fleeing a domestic violence situation. She has four
August. She has four children, ages children, ages 10, 4, 2 and a 5 month old. Ms. Robbins had
9, 6, 5 and 2 years old. Ms. Cole was to take additional steps to
homeless after being evicted from secure housing and begin
her apartment due to a dispute with her and her children’s
another resident in her apartment journey to healing from
complex. When Ms. Cole arrived she was trauma. Her Samaritas case
determined not to be in the center for worker guided her through
more than the 90 days allowed. During the process and she was
her time here Ms. Cole experienced able to secure housing in a
some challenges, one of them being safe situation. Ms. Robbins
her 9 year old suffering a concussion utilized many of our
while at school and having trouble wraparound services, including daycare, transportation
adjusting to living in the shelter. Ms. and health care. She did not allow others around her to
Cole did everything she could to secure affect her mood and detract her from achieving her goals
an apartment for herself and her children. She did not for her family. She was able to get her family permanently
want this experience to scar her children. She saved the housed and on the path to stability. Ms. Robbin’s case
majority of her income and was able to secure housing worker also was able to connect her to support groups for
for herself and her children with her income and some domestic violence survivors and their children.
additional funding she was able to secure through help
from the Family Center staff. *Names have been changed | Photos are from the
Samaritas Family Center, not of the particular families.

Arif's Thank You

"I cannot thank Vesna Cizmic enough for resettling myself in Hamtramck, for helping me find my first
job and directing me to ESL programs when I first came to America. Samaritas is an unforgettable
organization. I cannot imagine where I would be if they had not helped me back then. I am in the
process of purchasing an abandoned church building in Detroit for my Ministry now. I would like to
help Samaritas and New Americans from across the world in the future. This project is one of the ways
to bring people together and to include them in educational community activities. Thank you again
and your team for the tremendous help. Because of you, I can proudly say, I am American citizen!"
~ Arif Huskic President and Founder, Common Word Alliance

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