Renewal Story: Michele

Michele had always taken care of herself. She was proud of the years she had spent rising in the ranks of the hotel industry, and she loved her new job in accounting. But when her husband said he no longer wanted to be married, she was "shattered." Then she was laid off from her job.

"I sat on the sofa, crying my eyes out, drinking all the time" Michele remembers. "I just went lower and lower." Finally, the former accountant was broke and homeless. She heard Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County could help make things right again.

She knew it was her only option, but Michele saw it as proof of how far she had fallen. "When I came to UGM-TC, I thought it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But I have been happier here than I have been in a long time," she says.

In the women's program, Michele learned coping techniques and practical life skills. She attended ALPHA and Bible study, discovering a love for Jesus Christ she had never had before.

"I want to help people and do things for them." Michele says. "I want to give back because I've been given so much. I write down what I'm grateful for every day. My heart has totally changed."

As she prepares for her new, independent life, Michele looks forward to simple pleasures like enjoying a cup of coffee on her balcony. But her new life will not be all leisure: she and a fellow resident plan to open a shelter for women 65 and older. "There are too many older ladies who are homeless. It's unbelievable," she says. "As soon as we get our apartments, we're going to apply for grants."

Michele will never forget the care and kindness your support provided at UGM-TC. "Anybody can be homeless. Thank you for not looking past us, for seeing us as people."