Dreaming Big
When Brittiney turned 18, she was living with her mother and three siblings in a two-bedroom apartment. That’s one person more than the legal occupancy limit, Brittney says, so she made a decision for the good of her family.
“I said to my mom, ‘I’m the oldest. I’m 18. I’ll see if I can find someplace else to live.’”
Though her mom worked full-time, her low wages kept the threat of homelessness ever-present. Brittiney hoped that her move would preserve the little stability her family had achieved.
“It was either me or we were all going to get put out,” she says.
Through YouthLink, an agency that serves homeless youth, Brittiney learned about CCHT’s Archdale apartments for homeless youth. She moved in shortly afterwards and found a job working at IKEA.
She still talks with her family by phone every day. “My mom is very close to all of her kids. She considers family first,” she says.
Meanwhile, she is learning a lot at the Archdale.
“I never knew how to budget. I have a budget sheet now that I use.” She says she’s also learned independent living skills.
Living at the Archdale has also allowed Brittiney to focus on setting her own direction. “I love poetry. I love artwork. I have so many talents I don’t know what to do with them!” she says.
She’s settled on a variety of ambitious goals: to become a pastor, attend a four-year college, publish a book, and get her paintings displayed at the Walker Art Center.
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