Friends in Action

“Our team has been fortunate to be involved with a most wonderful family - Julianna is a young mother of three children, and already has had a life filled with challenges and frustrations. After living in a shelter, she was able to get a townhouse, and has worked at a childcare center for two years while developing a stable living situation for her children.

She has had little family support, but is a wonderful parent and works so hard to create a good life – we are all filled with her positive energy and determination. While working and being a single parent, with the encouragement of our team, Julianna applied to college; her goal is to become a teacher. We helped her get a grant to support her education and adjust to going back to school. She is now studying at Montgomery College, and her children too are thriving in school. She is our Friends in Action star, whose future holds many bright opportunities. It is our honor and joy to be her team.”

Every Thursday morning, something very special happens at our Community Vision program for homeless adults in downtown Silver Spring. That’s when Art for the People, a local nonprofit dedicated to bringing art to those with little access to life’s “extras” - takes over our all-purpose room. These classes act as a magnet for many “street people” – drawing them inside Vision’s facility, where they can begin to address some of the issues that have made them homeless.

For many Vision Art students, this is the first time in their lives they have completed a project, received public validation for their work, or engaged in healthy and positive group activity. The power of this experience cannot be minimized. Several students have been “discovered” to have significant artistic ability and are currently pursuing additional art studies. Many have been part of local art shows and exhibits and have sold their work. Several have found jobs at local crafts stores, and one student, Alvin Thomas, was featured last year in a 10-minute video segment on his life and work produced and aired on Maryland Public Television. This non-profit partnership has been supported through grants from the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Commission and The Trawick Foundation. What next? Several of our students have been empowered through this art, have moved off the streets and are now in their own housing, and have worked with Interfaith Works case managers to find the financial and therapeutic resources they needed to sustain this new level of independence. The passion for art they discovered through this program has given meaning and focus to their lives. Visit our site for news of upcoming gallery dates!

Jenny’s journey back….
Eighteen months ago Jenny was referred to Interfaith Work’s Sophia House shelter for homeless women. She had just been released from a psychiatric hospital, where she had been admitted because of severe depression and a suicide attempt. Jenny had just given up her 12-year-old daughter for adoption and had spent all of her savings on her care. Born with severe disabilities, her daughter is cognitively only 18 months old and for five years, Jenny cared for her daughter while holding down a well-paying, full-time job. When this became impossible, she quit her job to care for her daughter full time. All her money spent, Jenny arranged for adoption to save her daughter. This precipitated the depression and the suicide attempt.

While at Sophia House, Jenny worked with her Interfaith Works’ case manager to develop a plan for getting her life back together. Her caseworker arranged for mental health treatment and provided access to medications for depression. Jenny also enrolled in our Job Readiness Program at Community Vision in Silver Spring. She struggled with what she wanted to do - in her depression, she felt incapable of doing anything well. Her Vocational Counselor was not deterred. He helped her explore career options and also gave her the tools to work on her own.

At about the same time, Jenny qualified for benefits and moved into one of Interfaith Works’ Horizon House group homes with four other women. Jenny worked with her Horizon House case manager to figure out the necessary steps to become self-supporting and productive again. She has developed close friendships with her roommates, participates actively in house and program activities, and has helped to fix up and decorate the house. In addition, with case management and vocational program support, Jenny is now working part-time at a small law firm, finding her way again in the world. Because she feels safe and at home, Jenny can devote her energies to recovery and to building a new life. Jenny’s confidence continues to grow.

She writes,
“For me Interfaith Works has offered not just housing and services, but the people and the support I have needed to regain my life and independence. When I did not believe in myself, Interfaith’s staff did. They have stuck with me – they have given me courage, and helped me find my strengths. They have personally brought me along through the steps of my recovery so that I can actually see myself reclaiming a productive role in the real world. I could never have survived without Interfaith Works, and I could not have thrived without the dedication of their staff. They have given me the gift of a job I love, a home, and a community of friends…and most of all, they have given me back myself.”

"FIA has given me hope for the future. As a single parent I've always wanted to go to college with the help & support from FIA I start in September. I consider this program to be a huge blessing for my family. THANK YOU"- FIA mom

"Being a mentor has given me the hope you can make a positive difference in the lives of the family members." - FIA mentor ~ Adat Shalom

"Being a mentor has given me a good feeling in knowing we are helping a fellow beings" - FIA mentor,Saint Francis of Assisi

"Better insight and understanding of the neediest members of our society" - FIA mentor,Mount Calvary Baptist Church