Adalaide’s story reminds us how strong, brave, resilient, and beautiful our Fairweather Family Lodge clients are.
All of our clients leave lasting marks on our hearts, but the women and families we meet at the Fairweather Family Lodge are uniquely special to us. At this supportive housing facility in San Antonio, we work with chronically homeless women with disabilities, as well as their children so they can achieve a life full of stability, success, and self-sufficiency.
Their stories blow us away every time. As we watch these individuals come through our door, we are already amazed that they have survived so much, and still have the grit and determination to continue. As they walk through our programs and grow under the roof of the Fairweather Family Lodge, their transformation is even more striking.
A Woman With Grit
We recently had the privilege of working with Adalaide, a mother of four who came to us desperate to find ways to provide for her children and fight through depression.
We first met Adalaide just over a year ago. She was experiencing homelessness, she had lost custody of her beloved children, and Adalaide had just discovered she was pregnant. She had been hopping from shelter to shelter until she finally met her therapist, who would eventually refer her to the Fairweather Family Lodge.
A Story Full of Obstacles
Before we met Adalaide, her life had not been easy.
After ending a thirteen-year marriage riddled with emotional abuse and infidelity, she was hopeful to begin a new life with her four children. However, her next relationship was equally harmful— meth use, physical harm, and emotional manipulation left her confused, anxious, depressed, and ultimately helpless to escape the abusive relationship.
Eventually, Child Protective Services opened a case against Adalaide and removed the children from her custody, placing them with her ex-husband.
As a result, Adalaide’s depression grew stronger. She was disappointed in herself and wasn’t sure how to get back on track. With little to keep her going, Adalaide found herself with no income, resulting in an eviction that would force her into homelessness in June of 2017. After a period of desolation, Adalaide walked through our doors for the first time.
A Place to Call Home
By providing valuable tools and resources like case management, professional counseling, life skills training, and employment opportunities, the Fairweather Family Lodge hopes to provide a safe, healthy, stable, and caring environment where families can get back on their feet.
Now, Adalaide has been at Fairweather Family Lodge for over a year. She has regulated her depression and anxiety with medication and has grown emotionally through therapy and support. She has made progress as a parent and with her career goals and has also made it her mission to advocate for mental health.
Adalaide currently works as a certified nursing assistant at the Center for Health Care Restoration Center, a detox center for patients hoping to defeat addiction. Not only does she check the patients’ vital signs, but she also serves as a coach, encouraging them through their progress. Knowing first-hand how hard it is to recover from rock-bottom, Adalaide makes it a point to do small acts of kindness for them, so they know they have someone on their side.
Her mantra and the advice she relays to them is that: “Overcoming what you have gone through has made you are way stronger than you ever were.”
How can you help?
As homelessness is increasing, we also hope to expand our program in accordance. Over the last 15 years, the Fairweather Family Lodge program has served over 250 families, or close to 800 individuals. Endeavors® is aiming to expand this program to provide these critical services to more homeless families in San Antonio.
If you would like to donate to this incredible cause, you can find ways to help by clicking here!
Endeavors is passionate about serving vulnerable people in crisis, improving their quality of life in innovative, personal ways. Click here to connect with someone from our team and learn more about the many ways Endeavors® can help!
In addition to providing housing for homeless women and children, we also provide Disaster Case Management and Emergency Services. Additionally, we help connect military families to clinics, provide emergency staffing services, create long-term recovery plans, and far more.