Michele and Mykayla’s Story

Mom and daughter find community and a place to call home

What do you think of when you hear the word “home”? For Michele, home means a safe place to sleep for her and for her 11-year-old daughter, Mykayla.

Michele worked as a preschool teacher for 20 years in New York. But once she moved to Atlanta, she struggled to find work. Almost overnight, Michele and her daughter went from living safely in their own home to sleeping in their car.

She didn’t know where to turn for help. Thankfully, she found her way to My Sister’s House and was welcomed by caring staff, and she finally had a safe place to sleep. She was apprehensive at first because she didn’t know what to expect.

“When you hear “shelter,” sometimes you’re very fearful,” says Michele. “I was just glad, after seeing people sleeping under bridges and outside in the cold, that we had a safe place to sleep– somewhere that we could rest our head and take a hot shower.”

She was also concerned about how her daughter would adjust to the new environment.

Mykayla, a born extrovert, says she felt right at home almost immediately.

“There were lots of kids here that I could play with,” she says. “As you can see,” adds Michele, “she has adjusted well.”

With the help of the Atlanta Mission childcare team, Mykayla was able to enroll in the local charter school, get the uniform and school supplies she needed, and catch up on the work she missed.

You’re giving them the opportunity to work toward their dreams.

Mykayla says her favorite part of living at Atlanta Mission is being able to “bond with my mom.”

Now that she and her daughter have a safe place to eat and sleep—a place they can feel at home—Michele has begun to dream about her own future and make plans. She wants to go back to college, get her degree, and become a counselor.

And Mykayla has big dreams of her own, listing off five different careers when asked what she wants to be when she grows up.

Because of friends like you, Michele and Mykayla found hope and a safe place to work towards their goals and dreams for the future.