My name is Juanita.

I walked into Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas on a Friday afternoon desperately looking for housing for myself and my two young daughters. I left my hometown in Tennessee a couple months back. I was desparate. I was fleeing domestic violence. I was living with a very abusive man and I was worried he might start hurting my daughters. I got so scared one day that I just drove off with my girls without any destination in mind.

Something told me to stop and rest in Kansas City. I was emotionally drained and unsure of my next step. I met a kind woman, Veronica, who after hearing my story decided to help me and referred me to Catholic Charities for housing. She volunteered at Catholic Charities and told me they might be able to help me.

So when I walked into Catholic Charities I was looking for housing. Fortunately, Catholic Charities had one more spot left in their housing program and my family was immediately enrolled. Thank God I stopped in Kansas City! We now live in an apartment. So we got housing, but we also got so much more…my family found hope for our future.

My Catholic Charities case manager connected me with the Bishop Sullivan Center. Through their services, I found full-time employment. I’m now earning enough money to take care of my family on my own. My confidence is back. My daughters are enrolled in school and making friends. We are doing very well. I’ve started attending counseling through the Keeler Women Center. I will never again fall into the trap of domestic violence. We feel safe and at home. We now volunteer at Catholic Charities and my hope is that I can help someone like Veronica helped me.