Melanie "Just for Today"

Photo by Randy Bacon

The number one thing I want people to know about me is, I’m a fighter. I was homeless for about two and a half months because I was in an unhealthy sober living house. At the time, there were some girls there that were sick and a few of us were kicked out because we weren’t a part of their clique. But they finally caught on and the house is healthy now. I just happened to be there at the wrong time. I dealt with homelessness one minute at a time, one day at a time. Just one foot in front of the other. I really just kept going, I couldn’t stop. The hardest thing about being homeless is knowing that people are looking at you when you’re pulling a suitcase around with you. I think that was the worst out of all of it. I was fine once I was where I needed to go, but it was the in-between work; getting from point a to point b with your stuff. And just everything it entails from not having a place to go, you had to figure it out even on your days off. You have to figure out somewhere to be with your stuff.

I finally found someone to give me a chance. That’s how I was able to get off the street. I’ve always lived by the idea that, no matter what my situation, I don’t try to judge others because you never know what they’ve been through in their life. They may look like they got it going on but they don’t! Or they may look like they ain’t, but they are! Even being homeless I still had that drive and that fight. Not giving up, not settling, and that it would work out. And I did get help; when I look back in my life, it’s like people have gotten cars and people have things given to them and nothing like that had ever happened to me until the donor. And then also, I will mention since I’ve been in my apartment, the people that brought me the furniture; I thought it was someone I knew through Safe to Sleep. I didn’t know that it was just someone Jessica had worked with, and from sharing my story, these complete strangers wanted to help me. They didn’t even know me from Adam. Just heard my story and wanted to help. Even my case worker commented on how nice of furniture I have. She’s like, “is this paid for”, and I’m like yeah, everything in here is mine. And nothing is owed. It came from strangers that actually just wanted to help me. So, that’s something, I guess… It's an amazing feeling.

Photo by Randy Bacon

I’m a more productive member of society. I’ve got bills now. But I realized just the other day in a meeting, I didn’t know what I was gonna say, then a girl that went right before me said that she had just walked from the sober living house and I was like, that was me 9 months ago when I was in that sober living house walking to this meeting. And now I have an apartment, a car, and a better job, you know what I mean? And, I can actually call myself management, you know? I mean executive sounds better but…you know, still. Ha! Ha! I am an Assistant Executive though if you want to know the actual title of it. Ha! Gotta get "executive" in there somewhere… They say we’re just glorified housekeepers, but I’ll take the glorified part.

My dream for the future is to have all my children together, with me. Just being able to do it myself, that’s given me an awesome feeling, you know? To know that I’M doing this. Even on my sick days when I get up and go to work, I still make it through. Just don’t give up. Just don’t give up.