For more than 36 years, Home of the Sparrow (HOS) has remained dedicated to offering Hope, Opportunity, and Support to empower women and children on their journey from homelessness to independence.

Each year, Home of the Sparrow welcomes hundreds of mothers seeking safety, stability, and a path to happiness through our programs. We invite you to read on and discover the inspiring journey of one of our remarkable clients. She generously shares her story, shedding light on the harsh realities and challenges that led her to seek refuge at Home of the Sparrow. Through our support, she found the strength to reclaim self-sufficiency and rebuild her life once more.

Let’s Meet Karen – A Mother’s Story of Hope, Opportunity, and Support

“Growing up, my father was extremely physically abusive toward my mother. He would often leave her with black eyes, a broken nose, and a shattered spirit. After witnessing these horrors for the entirety of my young life, I vowed that I would never let myself get into the same situation. Years later, I met someone and I was so in love that I allowed the love I had for this man to be greater than the love I had for myself. His verbal and financial abuse was only amplified by his drug and alcohol addiction and it was only a matter of time before things became physical. I remember being so terrified of him that I would literally wet my pants as he stood over me and laughed. I knew I had to get my family away from him. When the opportunity presented itself, I left.

What I thought would be a chance at a new life for myself and my kids was, unfortunately, only the beginning of a painful journey. After we left, he followed us and began to stalk and harass me. We
called the authorities, but he was always gone by the time they got there. It was so frustrating; I used to pray for my own personal bodyguard. After a few months, he tried to kill me. He had choked me, and I had visible finger imprints around my neck and burst blood vessels all over my face. He was arrested but released the very next day. The state of constant fear he put me in left me unable to work, and I could hardly provide for my kids. My friends wouldn’t talk to me, and my family was angry with me because they felt like I wasn’t doing enough about the situation. I fell into a deep depression, contemplating taking my own life. I felt like if I wasn’t here, all this chaos that I caused would go away. I was so angry and tired of living in fear that my children and I got on the bus with four suitcases full of whatever we could fit in them and moved here to live with my sister…”

“… Although we had traveled states away, he quickly followed me here. That’s when I decided it was time to seek help from a shelter. Not long into our journey, we found Home of the Sparrow. I remember being so scared and ashamed that we were going to be living in a shelter, but I was relieved to see that my preconceptions of a shelter were just that. We were given a two-bedroom unit to stay in and had daily chores and responsibilities; we were given budgets, and we were offered weekly classes on beneficial skills. The services offered for both the kids and the adults at HOS are phenomenal. To this day, my kids still talk about the great memories they have from being at Home of the Sparrow. Home of the Sparrow gave me the opportunity to breathe again. Being at the shelter gave us back structure and, most importantly, the opportunity for me to learn to love myself again. I stayed at HOS for four months before graduating and being able to move into my own two-bedroom apartment a few months later. Only four months after that, I moved into a house where I am still living.

Remember earlier when I told you I prayed for my own personal bodyguard? Well, God gave him to me. We recently started our own security business, and I am now proudly self-employed. Additionally, I’m launching a Women’s Empowerment Program this year, which will help women through self-discovery and empowerment. My kids and I will forever be grateful for Home of the Sparrow and for everything they’ve done for our family. Thank you.”