Page 18 - Our Hands Fall 2020

ur Family Center homeless shelter is a unique community
and one that provides benefits and emotional support that
Osometimes makes all the difference in someone’s life.

Ms. Denidra Flowers was generous enough to allow us to share her
impactful mission moment at our most recent event. Through a
moving video presentation, she shared the struggles and hardships
she and her daughter faced while living at other homeless shelters.

After her daughter fell ill with an autoimmune disorder that left
her immobile from the neck down, the toll of taking care of her
daughter through numerous hospital visits left her homeless. She
was able to secure shelter, but each community had very strict
curfew rules, which mandated that Ms. Flowers was back inside the
shelter at a certain time each evening. This meant that she either
couldn’t be by her daughter’s bedside for comfort and security or
she was evicted from the shelter for not following their rules.

In addition to spending hours each day with her daughter as she
faced intense treatments and hospitalizations to care for her disease,
Ms. Flowers was also forced to move from shelter to shelter as they
were unable to be back in time for each shelter’s strict hours.

Once she was referred to the Samaritas Family Center, she finally
found somewhere that was more than a place to stay - it was a safe
harbor in a time of crisis. Ms. Flowers was greeted with compassion,
flexibility and understanding while caring for her daughter. No
FROM curfews were imposed when she stayed with her daughter overnight
at the hospital. And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the
Samaritas Family Center program did not skip a beat. The staff
continued to work on housing options, and after a few short
HOMELESSNESS months, they were able to secure an apartment that was perfectly

suited and conveniently located to doctors and other vital medical
resources. Samaritas was critical to their success in finding a
permanent and loving home where she and daughter are thriving.
TO HOPE For more information about how you can help the Family Center

through Samaritas with volunteering, transportation, donation
drives, jobs, housing opportunities and other benefits, please
contact Lauren Brosch at lbros@samaritas.org.

18