Some of the people who come to Welcome House for help are here for only a few hours or even a few minutes and yet we find that is still enough time to make a significant impact in a person's life.  A young woman named Anna was working with a local non-profit agency.  Anna is a victim of international human trafficking and was brought to this country under false pretenses.  Anna left the abusive situation and is working on starting a new life.  Anna first heard of Welcome House through the assistance of another agency in the community and was told to call and find out if Welcome House could help with pantry items and a few household necessities.  Anna is moving into her own apartment and basically has no household goods.  Anna was without any of the things anyone would think of to start a home; such as plates, cookware and food.  The only belonging s she owned were her clothes.  We set up a time for Anna to come to Welcome House and we were able to provide Anna with household items, such as sheets, towels, and silverware.  The Emergency Assistance Pantry volunteers also made an effort to put together extra food and "pantry starter" items for Anna, such as cooking oil, sugar and rice, in addition to the normal bags of food we give to pantry clients.  Anna is now on her way to a life of independence free from abuse.

Father's Day is a special time each year when many people across the country celebrate their dads and reflect on childhood memories.  For Tony and his children, this will be a very special Father's Day as they celebrate new beginnings and move into their first home.

Tony and his children did not always live a life full of hope.  As a young teenager Tony started using a variety of drugs and quickly became addicted.  When Tony was 20 he discovered  his girlfriend, who was also an addict, was pregnant with their first child.  Tony's girlfriend gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but continued in a lifestyle filled with drugs.  Three years later, Tony's girlfriend gave birth to their second child; a boy. 

It wasn't until the police arrested Tony for possession of cocaine and methadone and he was ordered to drug court that he started to turn his life around.  He lived in transitional housing while working on his recovery.  During this time Tony and his girlfriend separated and he became determined to regain custody of his children and give them a better life.  However, the housing that Tony was living in did not allow children.  In order to continue with his plan to regain custody Tony moved into the Welcome House Gardens at Greenup apartments.

Tony and his case manager developed a specific plan for him and his family which included furthering his education, affordable childcare and employment.  Although Tony's life circumstances were difficult he chose to keep a positive attitude and focused his energy on being hard working and a dedicated dad.

Today, Tony is only one semester away from graduating with an Associates of Applied Science degree.  Furthermore, Tony recently decided to continue his education and will start working toward a bachelor's degree in social work next year. 

This week Tony moved out of the Gardens at Greenup and will be celebrating Father's Day with his children in their first house.  Tony is excited since he will now have a yard where his children can play.  His children, on the other hand, are looking forward to the day when their dad will let them get a dog!

We wish Tony, his family and all fathers a Happy Father's Day!