Community Matters
Reducing Homelessness Matters.
Meet Troy and Johnetta
Just a little over a year into their marriage, and Troy and Johnnetta were faced with the kind of problems that would bring the strongest marriages to an end. Three months after Troy lost his job due to outsourcing and struggling to pay bills on one salary, Johnnetta lost her job as well. They called around to several shelters, but none of them allowed them to enter as a family although she and Troy were married. “We were going through enough without being apart and we decided we were going to get through this as a family." Fortunately for them, there was Genesis Home.
Genesis Home taught the family to set goals ; both realistic and long-term for their family and as individuals. “By setting goals as a family, we learned to work together as a family.“ While there they also learned Johnnetta found out she was pregnant. "Our case worker was very supportive in helping us get through that. It was really rough once we found out we were expecting, but everyone was always willing to help even with things they had to get outside of their agency," said Johnnetta.
After six-months at Genesis Home, Troy has his own landscaping business, they have a new home, a new baby and a fresh start. "We've learned to not take anything for granted. Genesis Home is still very supportive and it feels good to know they are there to help."
"The real thing about homelessness is some people just have bad breaks," says Troy. Sometimes people get into despair, things aren’t always going to be perfect. But there’s always a point where you can turn it around. Thankfully Genesis House was there to help us do that."