Society of Saint Vincent de Paul North Idaho
Shelby Stone's Story
When I first came into this program I had nothing. A few days before I came here I had a choice of going to the shelter, taking my daughter to Children’s Village or having her taken away. By some miracle I was accepted into Transitional Housing and from there I slowly started making the turn for the best.
In this program I have learned that I can ask for help and that I can make it on my own. When I first came here I was not working and I could not even imagine holding a full-time job and going out into the world. Now for almost the entire last year I have kept the same job and have advanced from training to actually opening and closing the store and employees come to me to ask what needs to be done. Also, I have had very hard situations that have come up and instead of making selfish and irresponsible choices I have learned to make responsible choices, even though sometimes they are harder.
I have paid off the majority of my past debts while in the program and have saved hundreds of dollars for myself and also for my daughter. The biggest accomplishment for me is that now I can walk around with my head held high and no one can take that away from me!
I have found a beautiful two bedroom apartment with a washer and dryer of my own, a park just outside my door that my daughter can play at, and I am planning on getting back into college to get my bachelor’s degree in early elementary education. Once I get my Bachelor’s degree and get into the education field I will get my Master’s degree in the same area.
My daughter was very shy and withdrawn before getting in the program. Now she is much more outgoing and happy. She loves our new apartment and being able to have her own room and play outside most anytime.