Testimonials

"My name is Faith and I was born in Houston, Texas in 1976. I attended school in the Houston Public School System where I was an excellent student. I was always described as the shy, timid one. At the age of fourteen I was forced to leave my mothers security after my stepfather molested me.

As a child I pictured getting married, having children, and living happily ever after. Well that is not how the story goes- actually it happened completely opposite. At the age of 19, I had my first child, Paige in 1995 out of wedlock. I dropped out of school my senior year and got a job. I still had hopes for a future. The father of my child, Alex was seven years older than me and very controlling. I was very young and mistaken this for love. During my pregnancy he became very abusive- physically, mentally and emotionally. I felt empty emotionally, and drained mentally, and this took a toll on my health; daily I experienced headaches and stomachaches. People may ask why stay in such a horrible situation. I stayed because leaving would jeopardize my life and those around me. I kept this abuse secret for a long time- two years to be exact. People only found out when the bruises were too visible for me to hide. He began to threaten the lives of my family and friends; I was continually in fear if I left what would he do. After the birth of my second child, Jeremiah, in 1997 I left him for the sake of my children- he came and got us. I could not stay with family or friends because everyone was afraid of him.

After years of physical abuse I left him and prayed for God to protect my children and me. I left him only to find myself in another unhealthy relationship. My children and I moved in with relatives and that was emotionally and mentally taxing on my children and I. After three years of struggling to keep my sanity, I was asked to leave. I suddenly found myself with out a place to care for my children. I was working fulltime for Macy's department store and the job alone was overwhelming and left me without time to deal with a crisis as large as this one.

I was without any other family to lean on, forcing me to separate my children. I continued to go to work while trying to find a place for my family to live. Unfortunately, the money I made at Macy's was not enough to sustain a residence and provide for three children. My youngest child, Aisha and I stayed at the Star of Hope. This was one of the worst times of my life but I thank God that she was only two at the time and will not remember this humiliating experience. I tried to hide my situation from co-workers and friends. Eventually I was forced to talk to my manager and HR personnel about my situation. After communicating what was going on, I was given a list of shelters. I called several places without any luck- one of the flyers in the list was for Gracewood. After reading the flyer, I knew Gracewood was the place that my children and I needed to escape this dilemma. After several calls to Gracewood's Program Coordinator, I was told they did not have any space. I believed that God had written it in his plans for my family to plant our roots at Gracewood. I read the flyer every night.

"Gracewood was a transitional living facility for motivated women and children fleeing crisis situations." That was my family.

Never in my life had I heard God so clearly. He told not to give up on Gracewood, that he had a specific time for my family and I. So I mustered up the courage to call one more time. Finally, the Program Coordinator informed me that they had an available space. My children and I were separated for almost two months. We moved into Gracewood August 2008, just in time for school to start.

Since I arrived at Gracewood, I have received my GED and I am currently attending Houston Community College. I will be attending Houston Baptist University in the fall where I plan to obtain my Masters degree in Education. My children and I have grown emotionally and spiritually; God has used Gracewood to bless my family with grace and mercy. Most of all we have been given the gift of time and security. Gracewood provides us with a stable home to mend our hearts, minds and spirits.

Everyday I thank God for his declaration of a plan for a hope and a future."

Today has been the day we are working on accessories and pictures for Gracewood-Elmview. I cannot begin to tell you the overwhelming feeling of gratification I have for being a part of this project. I am so thankful for all the builders, vendors, subcontractors and volunteers who have worked so very hard to make this happen. Jerry and Laura (the new counselor, who is wonderful) kept having to give me time this morning as we went through and made notes about what we needed to finish. I got in the car and absolutely lost it from the emotions experienced. Just unbelievable and lets me know I am on the right track. So, thank you....

"SEARCH Homeless Services is most grateful for the high quality renovation work provided by HomeAid and GHBA to our childcare center for homeless children. SEARCH's House of Tiny Treasures' wood frame preschool and toddler houses received much needed leveling, new wood flooring, painting, and diaper changing area to ensure the children are safe and the facility is sound. The children who attend this early childhood development center see the House of Tiny Treasures as their place of stability, fun, learning, and friendship. This home-like environment supports them as they grow and get ready for kindergarten. HomeAid has made their school like new again. Everyone at SEARCH's House of Tiny Treasures is beaming!"

"When I first came to the Krause Center as an employee, I found the lobby appearance to be discouraging -- is was just so dismal. Now, it is so light, so beautiful! It has been uplifting for all the staff and the kids to enter the center through that space and see the incredible work you have done."

"My involvement working on HomeAid projects has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling. Often the task at hand at times appeared to be more than expected, but NEVER insurmountable. At the end of the day, the always deserving beneficiaries of our labors radiate with joy and appreciation for our efforts. When it comes to HomeAid, my slogan is "will work for smiles"; I'm never disappointed."

"At the Harbor, I usually did my homework and chores whenever I had to," Kris said. "I played soccer and basketball whenever I could, and sometimes even when I was supposed to be doing chores or homework. At an early age, the excitement of competition and success was my breakfast, lunch and dinner. Track meets, soccer, basketball, spelling bees, anything that gave me an honest shot at winning filled my appetite to do admirable things. And I did those things and forgot that I didn't have a traditional family at home like the other children in school."

"When I called Gracewood, it was the first time in a long time I'd picked up the phone where the person on the other end treated me with respect," said Melanie. "The first question wasn't 'are you a drug user?' It was 'where are you?,' 'what's going on?,' 'how can I help?' Gracewood offered my kids a home away from the chaos of the city. It was quiet and peaceful, almost normal."

"I've always had goals, but never felt they were attainable," said Claudia. "I never had the opportunity to sit back and choose. Now, thanks to Gracewood, I know anything is possible."

"Gracewood gave me hope, something to believe in," said Elida. "Being able to accept more women will give them the chance to get back on their feet. I'm very thankful for what it has done for me."

"An opportunity to provide leadership on Houston's 1st ANSI approved Green Remodel was simply too good to pass up! We jumped at the chance to work with HomeAid Houston and would do so again!"

"When the GHBA Remodeler's Council first joined forces with Home Aid Houston to do a joint project in 2008, this opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us. It has allowed us to do much more good for our community, by giving us a whole range of worthwhile projects to work on."

Building homes. Building hope. Who does HomeAid help? How does HomeAid work?

Testimonials Hear what people are saying about HomeAid Houston.