Still Trying and Fighting

When a car accident, job loss, and homelessness threatened to destroy Sharmaine’s life, you helped her rebuild.

Sharmaine never dreamed her life could take such a scary turn.

But then a rough divorce and a bad auto accident proved her wrong.

Sharmaine didn’t know her ex-husband had removed her from the car insurance policy. And while she was grateful to walk away from the wreck, she had no way to replace her car. With no car, she lost her job. And with no job, she soon lost her apartment.

Her life came crashing down. It was all at once shocking, frightening, and depressing. Though she worked hard to stay positive, you can imagine that hopelessness wasn’t far off.

“I did not have any help from anyone,” she says. “But I am still trying and fighting.”

Trying and fighting . . .

New to Tampa Bay and with nobody to help her, Sharmaine was truly in desperate straits. It was like dominoes falling one after the other. All she could do was watch as she lost just about everything

But through your support, Sharmaine found a hand up and a reason to have hope. And that has made all the difference. We were able to step in and help her begin to rebuild her life financially and cope with a devastating emotional experience

Through hard work and diligence, Nikki completed the program. “The program gave me the confidence, knowledge, and support I needed to successfully transition into the workforce,” says Nikki.

She was offered and accepted a good position working in material control with TRU Simulation, a local developer of flight training tools. She has been there for three years now and says, “I work for a great company alongside great people.”

“Metropolitan Ministries has given me hope and confidence.” — Sharmaine

Sharmaine was able to find shelter during the crisis and take advantage of special resources and services that have enabled her to rebuild her life.

“Metro has given me hope and confidence that I can do things,” she says. “This place feels like home. I have more confidence that I can do better.”

During her time with us, Sharmaine has learned how to better manage her finances. “I am able to be more cautious about everything around me now,” she says.

Sharmaine was also able to get help with affordable housing. Anyone who has lived in the area for any length of time knows that housing costs are skyrocketing. Someone in her situation would have trouble scraping together enough money to get into even the most inexpensive apartment.

But thanks to support from you and other friends, Metro has programs that make it possible for people like Sharmaine to find reasonably priced housing.

Thanks to you, Sharmaine is now living a stable life, earning a good wage, and staying in safe housing. She says, “Metro makes me feel like I can do anything.”

To you and other Metro partners, Sharmaine says with sincerity, “Finally, I can give my kids and myself the best life. I couldn’t have done this without your support. I needed hope — a second chance.”

Your gift right now will help keep hope alive for someone like Sharmaine. At no time of year is hope more important than at Easter — the season of HOPE.

Give by Easter Sunday, April 17, and your gift will be TRIPLED!