Andrea’s Story
“I did have a rough life - I have had to forgive a lot of people. But if I didn’t go through this, I wouldn’t be the person I am today - I wouldn’t be this strong - who is going to be strong for my kids but me? I’m getting better and better each and every day… I’m strong, and I’m getting stronger.”
For years, Andrea had tolerated emotional, verbal, and physical abuse from her husband, staying only for her four children - sons Lyric, James, and Jonathan, and daughter Aubrianna. But one day, enough was enough.
In August of 2019, she left her old life behind and moved to Myrtle Beach to temporarily live with her sister and mother. Starting over was hard, with more than 10 people and 3 generations all living in a two bedroom apartment, but especially with one more on the way - Andrea was pregnant with her fifth child, another girl.
A temporary stay became permanent, until May 2020, when the landlord found out how many were living in the apartment. Hoping to avoid homelessness, Andrea tried to find housing on her own but could not qualify for assistance in time. By the end of June, she was evicted.
When she first came to the Family Shelter, Andrea felt as though she had hit rock bottom- “I got depressed and wasn't taking care of myself… Juggling work, 5 kids, 2 with disabilities, divorce - I thought ‘When is this gonna end?’. I felt like I was a failure… And I was scared of being alone.”
Andrea needed a change, a fresh start. And though she didn’t know it at the time, beyond finding shelter, a safe place to stay, and basic needs at New Directions, she found the opportunity to rest, regroup, and rediscover hope. With the support of her case manager and connections to resources, Andrea was able to rest and look for a different job, one which would allow her to take better care of herself and her family as a single mom of five - including the unique challenges of her son James’ juvenile diabetes, her son Jonathan’s autism, and a newborn baby, Alezandria.
Resources such as therapy, counseling, and services for her children, helped her regroup and take steps to get back to herself, “I started cooking, cleaning, taking care of myself, encouraging myself, any little thing I could do to keep my head above water… I learned to love myself”.
With a little time and some encouragement, things started looking up for Andrea. She found a new job as a credit counselor working remotely and enjoys helping others work on their financial health while having the flexibility to care for her family. She has been able to better manage James' diabetes and has noticed amazing changes in her son Jonathan.
“This place has changed us. My son (Jonathan) has made friends here - nobody made fun of him or teased him; he’s changed - he shares, has manners, he hugs people… People here, we come in broken, but together, we pulled up to get back up on our feet. I look at life differently now. I had to be ready to get out of it. I had to change my perspective on my struggle in order to find my purpose, be encouraged, and encourage others… Yes I was divorced, abused, depressed, homeless… But here you can leave that behind.”
With a job and the resources she needs to help her family thrive, Andrea’s next goal is to find a home for her family. “When I asked them what they wanted for Christmas, all of them said at the same time ‘a new home!’. That search can begin soon as she has just been approved for a housing voucher with the help of Eastern Carolina Housing Authority.
Thanks to the basic needs, support, encouragement, and stability she has found at New Directions along with resources from partner agencies, Andrea will soon no longer be homeless.
“I don’t know where we would be without New Directions. When most people hear that I live in a shelter they say, “Oh, I’m sorry”. I tell them, “no, don’t be sorry. It’s not what you think. This is the perfect place to be”.
New Directions is that “perfect place” for men, women, and families with children in crisis - Andrea, Lyric, James, Jonathan, Aubrianna, and Alezandria.
Andrea says - “I just want to tell everybody thank you for going above and beyond to walk in our shoes.. We really want to thank all the people, the community, for everything. They don’t understand how far basic needs go. It goes a long way.”