From Survival to Safety

For most of her life, Anna lived in survival mode.

She carried deep trauma from childhood into adulthood, shaped by abuse, instability, and years of feeling like something was wrong with her. Without knowing she was autistic, everyday life felt overwhelming. School was difficult. Relationships were dangerous. Eventually, a marriage became unsafe, and Anna fled with her two children, moving between shelters, temporary housing, and nights spent waiting outside full facilities in the cold.

“I honestly thought we were going to die homeless,” she remembers.

When Anna was referred to City of Refuge, she expected another rejection. Instead, she and her children were welcomed. Safety came first. Then stability. Then care.

At City of Refuge, Anna received access to therapy and medical support that had long been out of reach. She was diagnosed with anxiety, PTSD, major depression, and autism, answers that helped her finally understand her life. Her son was also diagnosed, opening the door for support for both of them. As survival loosened its grip, healing began.

With her mental health supported, Anna began rebuilding her future. She worked toward her GED and enrolled in the Tech Academy’s cybersecurity program, an opportunity she had been waiting for. Despite never finishing high school, Anna has become one of the top students in her class, thriving in the Tech Academy and transforming a lifelong passion for computers into a viable career path.

Her children returned to school after a year without consistent education. They now receive medical care, counseling, and stability tailored to their needs. “When I wasn’t in survival mode anymore,” Anna says, “I could finally start figuring things out.”

Today, Anna is still healing, but she is no longer hopeless. She and her children are safe, supported, and moving forward together, with a future that finally feels within reach.

Anna’s story reflects what can happen when survival gives way to stability and care. With consistent support and space to heal, she is rebuilding confidence, reclaiming her voice, and moving toward a future she once could not imagine.

Finding Direction Together

Elijah did not come to City of Refuge looking for a second chance. He came looking for a real one.

At 21, he knew what it felt like to reach the end of a road and realize it could not continue the same way. Recently released from jail, he was clear about what he did not want. He did not want to repeat old patterns or return to the life he had been living. What he wanted was stability, real work, and a legitimate path forward. City of Refuge offered structure, housing, and the chance to build something tangible through hands-on work. For Elijah, it felt like a place where effort could finally lead somewhere.

At the same time, MJ was also searching for solid ground. At 25, he had spent years moving across state lines chasing job opportunities that never quite delivered the stability he hoped for. Each move carried optimism, but also uncertainty. Eventually, encouragement from his aunt, who had previously completed a City of Refuge program, pushed him to take a different kind of risk. He arrived with little more than determination and hope, enrolling in the automotive program and committing to see it through, even when that meant waiting with limited resources and no clear backup plan.

Their paths crossed in the auto technician program, where Elijah and MJ quickly discovered common ground. What began as shared coursework and time in the shop grew into a deeper bond. They became roommates, study partners, and accountability anchors for one another. Cars gave them something practical to focus on, but it was their shared desire for a different life that truly connected them.

Neither man describes the program as an overnight transformation. Growth came through discipline, learning to show up on time, follow routines, and stay focused day after day. They learned the quiet power of consistency, choosing commitment even when motivation wavered. In moments of doubt, they leaned on one another, studying late, solving problems together, and reminding each other why they started.

For MJ, something shifted as he became rooted in the community. Surrounded by structure, encouragement, and accountability, the future stopped feeling abstract. Stability no longer seemed like a distant idea but something tangible and attainable. For Elijah, graduation marked a deeply personal milestone. “There were plenty of times I could have stopped,” he reflects. “But I did not. Finishing showed me I could follow through.”

Today, both Elijah and MJ are certified and employed full time in steady jobs. They still share an apartment, a living picture of the stability and responsibility they have built together. Their story is not one of sudden rescue, but of steady progress, shaped by opportunity, mentorship, and hard earned determination.

Their journey reflects what happens when someone is given the space, support, and structure to choose a different direction. Step by step, dignity is restored, purpose is rebuilt, and a future once out of reach begins to take shape.

No Longer Walking Alone

Stephanie did not expect to survive the year she almost lost everything.

Her life had been unraveling quietly and then all at once. After her marriage ended, she found herself separated from her children, isolated in a place where she knew no one, and overwhelmed by pain she did not know how to carry. What began as an attempt to numb the hurt quickly turned into addiction. Before long, it had taken her freedom, her stability, and nearly her life.

An overdose landed Stephanie in the hospital, where she spent weeks on life support. Doctors were unsure she would make it. When she was released, the cycle tightened its grip again. She relapsed briefly, still trapped in patterns she desperately wanted to escape. One person, an old boss, looked her in the eye and told her the truth she could no longer avoid. If you do not get help, you are going to die.

Not long after, carrying everything she owned, Stephanie boarded a train with nowhere certain to go. Along the way, a stranger noticed her distress, stopped, and chose not to look away. He listened. He stayed. And he connected her to City of Refuge. Stephanie is clear about what that moment meant. Without it, she believes she would have returned to addiction.

When she arrived at City of Refuge, Stephanie expected judgment. Instead, she found something she had not experienced in years. Acceptance. Structure. People willing to walk with her through recovery rather than rush her toward an outcome.

Healing did not come all at once. It came through counseling, workforce training, and consistent support. It came through learning to show up each day, even when the work felt hard. Slowly, sobriety took root. Confidence followed. Stephanie earned multiple certifications, secured full-time employment, and began rebuilding a sense of independence she once believed was gone for good.

Today, Stephanie is preparing for independent living. She talks about her own apartment, a car, and the possibility of restoring relationships with her children. Where fear once dominated her thinking, hope now has room to grow. “I have a future,” she says. “I finally believe I can do this.”

Stephanie’s journey reflects what can happen when recovery is met with compassion, structure, and accountability. With steady support, sobriety took root, stability returned, and a future once nearly lost began to take shape.