Jessica Moves Out, Models Giving Back
As Jessica glances out the window of her former Beacon home at Audubon Crossing, she remembers how permanent supportive housing helped her stabilize her family and allowed her to focus on giving back.
Jessica moved into Beacon’s Audubon Crossing in Minneapolis when her sons, Tony and Ceasar, were 2 and 4. This supportive, affordable housing community was their home for 14 years. It helped create hope and structure for the family. “It meant the world to us to be in one stable place for this long.”
Support and consistency
Family means everything to Jessica. Her father was her role model and biggest fan, “My dad was the one person that would not judge me.”
At Audubon Crossing, Beacon and its service partners became like family, too. They were there when her family needed shelter, resources, and a home. “From helping me get into an apartment that was brand new, to having monthly meetings [with service staff] or being available whenever I needed to talk to someone, I was more stable. Having someone there to talk to or ask me how I felt made a difference in everything.”
For Jessica, acceptance and kindness helped her believe in herself and others. It proved that by doing our very best and showing up for people, we can really make a difference.
Stable housing leads to giving back
Today, Jessica gives back to the fabric of our community, strengthening others’ lives in the same way Beacon and its service partners cared for her. She especially takes pride in supporting students she works with within the Minneapolis Public School District. Throughout her career there has been one constant: Jessica is a caring adult supporting students no matter their backgrounds or circumstances.
“[I know that] some of my students don’t have stable housing. My boys and I know how that feels.” Her life is living proof that supportive housing and the relationships formed within Beacon buildings ensure stability.
Fourteen years after Beacon handed her the keys to a safe home, Jessica moved out of Audubon Crossing and into a market-rate apartment. Looking back, she recalls the day she moved into Audubon and says that day, “will always be important because it was the beginning of a new life that Beacon helped me get…without having a safe home, advocates, and case managers throughout these 14 years, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Jessica personifies the power of showing up for others. Having previously experienced homelessness, Jessica knows that permanent, supportive housing transforms people’s lives every day. Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your story, your kindness, and your wisdom.
About Jessica:
Jessica is a mom of two and a Minneapolis Public Schools employee who supports students and their healthy eating. She is a dedicated person who gives back and helps others. By sharing her story about the importance of supportive housing, Jessica has helped Beacon advocate for change and raise funds for homes and supportive services; her advocacy is especially meaningful now when more people are on the cusp of experiencing homelessness thanks to uncertain federal funding.
Once struggling with homelessness, read how Beacon helped Jessica find her own apartment and how her hard work, paid off: Jessica’s story.
