Julianna's Story

The local news channels reported familiar headlines Houstonians are accustomed to seeing every year. To many of us, Hurricane Harvey’s approach registered as just another storm that would weaken before landfall. Juliana, A young mother of two girls under two, reacted the way most of us did. She believed that no matter what happened with this storm, she and her babies would be safe in her second floor apartment.

To her dismay, the three were eventually rescued by boat and taken to a small shelter. As supplies ran short at the shelter and the days ran long, Juliana worried about meeting the basic human needs of her two girls. She had resorted to feeding her youngest girl a mix of coffee creamer and water in a baby bottle. Her life was already in disarray before Harvey, and the aftermath threatened every prior effort to overcome. Lisa's challenges left her wondering how she was going to survive this storm. With nowhere else to turn, she remembered the Fifth Ward Pregnancy Help Center. Lisa gathered her girls and boarded a bus to begin the long journey through the flooded streets and the many detours of Houston to arrive at the center.

When she arrived she sighed with relief to see that we were open. Most of Houston was shutdown.  She was thankful we’d removed all the obstacles to have her receive the aide she needed immediately. There wasn’t a mountain of paper work, or an appointment only response, or a “come back another day.”  Se received everything she needed without hassle to meet her immediate needs for her child: disposable diapers, formula, a stroller, clothes, food and toiletries for the entire family.  Juliana broke down in tears. “If only I would have come sooner. My baby never needed to be hungry,” she sobbed.

Juliana met with our case manager who worked diligently to help her get back on her feet. We first needed to get her out of a shelter and stabilize her housing. She was connected with a local home who focuses on housing mothers with small children.

What Juliana wanted most was to start working again but her ID and all her documents had been had been lost in the flood. “I don’t care what it is. I just want to work.” Her lack was making her willing to settle for anything, but we had a better option. We had the perfect place for her to go. Locally there is an organization that helps people search not only for a job, but also for a meaningful place in the workforce. Lisa needed to know that her past was not going to define her future!

We made sure that before she left, she had everything she needed to overcome. That day, we loaded her with as much baby items, food, diapers and toys for child that she could carry back on the bus. We told her whenever she needed more; the doors of the Fifth Ward Pregnancy Help Center were wide open. Juliana had come for baby formula and left with so much more; she left with resources, material assistance, referrals and the opportunities she needed for a better future.

Client name changed for confidentiality purposes. Story shared with client’s written consent