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Maria's Story at the House of Ruth
Today, the still-single mother has her own apartment and works full time as house manager of The House of Ruth. She has gone back to school at the Puente Learning Center, with career dreams of becoming a police officer.
"The whole experience at The House of Ruth just changed my life — and it's still changing lives." she stresses. "That's why I love working at this place. We see success stories all the time." The Los Angeles House of Ruth |
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When Maria came to the Los Angeles House of Ruth in 1997, she was homeless with a five-year-old little girl. The single mom had dropped out to high school and didn't know where to turn. Living in a series of different apartments with relatives and friends, she was always upset and constantly arguing with her daughter.
"I didn't want to go to a shelter" Maria recalls. "I figured it would be crowded with lots of cots. But it was totally different here. We had our own room, and my daughter started in the Head Start programs. The staff really cared and wanted to help us improve our lives. Everything was better".
"I'm doing great!" Maria reports with a grin. "The people and programs here made me a stronger person, a better mother. My case manager motivated me a lot. She really pushed me to keep going forward."