The stories we report here are actual client cases. They are the children, parents, couples and individuals we work with every day. For most, their names, photos and some details have been changed to protect their privacy. But some of our clients are strong advocates for the services they received, and tell their stories through video. All offer their stories so you can better understand how lives can be changed when someone in need asks for our help.
Sharon* was struggling with homelessness, hopping from friends and family, to shelters, to anywhere she could lay her head. This desperation and longing for a safe space led to Sharon using substances to cope and engaging in prostitution to survive. It was then, that she found the Heartland Family Service Sanctuary House concealed emergency shelter.
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Sara* had suffered past trauma which began to display itself through verbal and physical aggression. This made it impossible for her to receive services through her home school district. These barriers made it difficult for Sara to build peer relationships or participate in any activities outside of the home. To attempt to diminish these hurdles for Sara, her school district and family made the decision to enroll her at the Heartland Family Service One Oak school.
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When Beth came to stay at the Heartland Family Service Sanctuary House during the summer, she was shocked to receive a welcome basket upon arrival, as well as a safe room to call her own. This was a far cry from the treatment she had fled in her home, where she reported feeling like she was fighting for her life every day. When she was younger, unbeknownst to Beth, her husband had been running a sex trafficking ring out of their home – and she was eventually entangled as a trafficking victim as well.
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When Savannah was a young girl, she grew up in a home environment that was different from her friends’. Her father was not a part of her life. She was fortunate to have a caring mother and grandparents, with whom she lived and with whom she built healthy relationships. After she started school, she struggled in many of her classes and wondered why she felt different from other people.
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