HOPE LEADS THE WAY

“I never would’ve guessed we’d go through what we went through,” says Janice. “But you gave us a place to go.”

Janice and her husband had their eyes fixed on a bright future. The couple was growing their family and thriving in life, and there was never a struggle to make ends meet. “We thought we had life set,” says Janice.

But seven months into Janice’s pregnancy with their second child, the doctor told them something wasn’t right. After giving birth to their daughter, Janice went through a major surgery. “Life as we knew it came to an abrupt stop.”

Post surgery, Janice was in no shape to care for a toddler and newborn. So her husband put his career on hold. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without him,” she says. “He beat the pavement, trying anything to make ends meet for us.”

The family managed to stay afloat — until Janice’s husband lost his mom. “She was holding us together during recovery when we couldn’t financially make it,” Janice says. Losing their loved one started a domino effect that pushed Janice and her family further behind. So when Janice was finally in the clear to work again, she searched for a job straightaway. She stumbled upon an ad for Metro’s Culinary Arts Program.

“I knew this was where I needed to be. I could hear God say, ‘This is what you need to do to get you mentally and physically prepared to get back out in the field,’” says Janice.

Face to face with homelessness

Already having a culinary arts background, Janice excelled in the program. But at home, the bills still weren’t paid. Electricity was close to being shut off. And then, one day, as Janice was walking into the house, she saw a three-day notice on the door.

She turned to her husband and said, “What are we going to do? Where will we go?”

Janice showed up to class the next day with a weight heavy on her shoulders. Sherry, a staff member, noticed that Janice wasn’t her usual joyful self. She approached Janice and asked her what was wrong.

“Sherry’s simple act of care and acknowledgement to someone she only knew in passing spoke volumes to me,” says Janice. “She sent me to the resource building to apply for emergency housing and told me, ‘Your family is going to have a place to go.’”

“Metro changed our lives forever”

Because you give, Janice and her family received temporary housing in their hour of desperation. The care you provide doesn’t stop at emergency help — it goes beyond to address poverty at the root. You help lead the way to hope.

“My husband and I came in here with degrees and jobs. But Metro helped us get better jobs,” says Janice. Here, her family found everything they needed to rebuild their foundation. Because of their resilience and your compassion, they were able to leave Metro within two months and settle in permanent, affordable
housing.

Thank you for being there for Janice’s family — and so many others across the Tampa Bay area!