Maria has come a very long way home. Now she can stand in her doorway and say “C’mon inside, this is our place.” By this she means, her family’s long-term, stable home—the goal every Joshua Station resident works toward.

Maria’s new place is a rental house with a full kitchen, dining room, and living room for her family all to themselves! Bigger bedrooms for the five of them to settle into. Five plus one, actually, since their long-term dream of a new family member has come true: a dog named Celeste scampers the yard.

Maria points to a familiar landmark across the freeway. Joshua Station is so close you can walk on over. But her arrival at that home two years ago seems another lifetime ago. “When I came to Joshua Station, my self-confidence was very, very low. When my family advocate showed me into our unit and I saw a beautiful sign that said ‘Family,’ it made me cry. I hadn’t known if we could make it as a family.”

More tears flowed that first morning, from frustration. Maria couldn’t open the lock for her new pantry space in the community kitchen. “I’m just so stupid,” she remembers saying over and over, when staff member Scott asked what was going on. “I was too ashamed to even ask for help.” Maria and Scott can laugh about it now, because Scott couldn’t figure it out either. At least she was not alone.

Maria and her four children were fresh from the trauma of escaping years of an abusive relationship. “My kids didn’t want to come out of our room at Joshua Station, and neither did I. My first Thursday night Community Dinner, I was scared. I didn’t know anyone. Who would I talk to?”

At dinner, Maria sat down next to another resident, Keishla. A lifelong friendship began in that moment. “Keishla introduced me to the others, and then she helped me a lot. When I had a bad asthma attack, she was the one who took me to the hospital.” Chantel was another neighbor from that very first dinner table who will be bonded for life.

Maria credits our Education Liaison Benjamin Armas for coaxing her children out into the community with youth activities. Looking back, she marvels how hard it was for them to say goodbye to the many close friends they’ve made at Joshua Station—friends they intend to stay in touch with. Being nearby helps, since former residents are welcome at Thursday dinners and they’re only five minutes away.

Maria especially thanks God for life-changing legal help through our partner Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center, who helped her gain 50/50 custody of her children—after her ex-husband was refusing any contact at all. Therapy at Joshua Station helped her with courage for that process and other steps such as her GED. “I never had been able to consider my desires in life; it was always about what someone else forced me to do.”

To prospective Joshua Station residents, Maria says: “It’s a great place, with a lot of supportive people. It gives you a chance to think about your future, it and gives you skills and resources. For your kids, they will have a lot of support with counseling, school tutoring, and with activities. My kids actually love school now!”

To our donors and volunteers, she says: “Thank you so much. You changed my life. You changed my kids; you changed my family. It’s a LOT of help, and it let me take this new step for my future. Leaving Joshua Station feels out of my comfort zone, but it’s what I’m finally ready for.”