Amanda (name changed for privacy) first called Wellspring’s Homelessness Prevention Line in 2019 seeking shelter and we advocated to have her placed in our own Gloucester family shelter which allowed her to stay close to her support system plus her educational and mental health providers.
Amanda and her young son thrived in our shelter and she was accepted into the Gloucester Housing First Program with Gloucester Housing Authority after being in shelter for 7 months. She moved to her own apartment in Gloucester and automatically received 12 months of stabilization services from Wellspring House. Amanda has asked to extend and will receive 6 additional months of support.
During her shelter stay, Amanda enrolled in Wellspring’s FREE Adult Education College Readiness Math class and she also enrolled in our WERC Mentoring program to receive help with determining her career path. After completing her math class and passing the North Shore Community College (NSCC) Accuplacer™ exam, she began taking business classes. The COVID-19 pandemic has paused her academically, but she is still on track to complete her Associate’s degree in Business with only four classes left to take.
Wellspring’s case manager also helped Amanda advocate for her son as a special needs student to get the much-need testing to determine the best educational plan for him. As a result of the testing, her son was transferred to a specialized school where he is now getting the assistance he needs consistently on a day-by-day basis. He is doing very well in school.
When the pandemic hit last spring and busing service was suspended, Wellspring was able to help Amanda secure a dependable car through our Homelessness Prevention Fund so she could drive her son the 50 minutes each weekday to his new school, as well as help her apply and receive a stipend from the school for providing that transportation which is covering the weekly amount needed for gas!
“I always knew I wanted better for my son, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that, my mother never showed me how to! Wellspring House showed me how to move forward by helping me figure out my path and they have always been there to help me move towards my goal. I am forever grateful for what they have done for me and my son!”
This Wellspring success story was made possible through the generous support of Bank of America Charitable Foundation.