Donate Today to Help End Homelessness in Howard County

Shelia has succeeded in building a good life for herself and her three children. Today, she has a career as a nursing assistant, essential childcare, and an apartment to call home. Life was not always easy for Shelia but she took the necessary steps to bring her life full circle. While she was a foster care teen, Shelia had her first child and dropped out of school. When Shelia aged out of foster care at 21, her second child was on the way and she was homeless. Then Shelia got into Grassroots, Howard County’s homeless shelter and the entry portal to several programs offered by Bridges.

After Shelia entered a Bridges Permanent Supportive Housing program and moved into a home with her children, the work of moving forward with her other goals began. Through her own initiative, Shelia participated in Bridges’ programs and readied herself to further her education. With the help of a Bridges case manager, Shelia got her GED, then enrolled in a course to receive certification as a nursing assistant. This led to a job at Howard County General Hospital. For a while, Shelia drove her children each day to her grandmother’s house in Baltimore while she attended classes until she could get local childcare. Shelia’s case manager at Bridges credits Shelia with doing all the hard work to achieve her goals.

The good news is that even during COVID-19, Bridges’ clients can find a new start in life. While COVID-19 has changed some of our practices, it has not stopped our work or our clients' efforts to move forward in life.

Please become part of a client’s success story with a charitable contribution. There are many other clients who will need Bridges’ assistance in the coming year. Your support will help provide essentials such as move in assistance and eviction prevention funds.

Bridges to Housing Stability is the place to turn to when Howard County residents are faced with housing problems. Our staff works diligently to help people find affordable housing and gain job interview and financial management skills. In the past year, we helped 143 households remain in stable housing and provided 11,300 hours of case management assistance. We are blessed to see Shelia and her family living a much better life than before her engagement with Bridges. We are grateful for all the good of this past year and hope you will be a partner in our work.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of Bridges' clients.