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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Crisis Assistance Ministry

Charlotte, NC

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In Her Own Words: Julia’s Story

Last year, Julia shared her story of Thanksgiving after a visit to Crisis Assistance Ministry. Yet, hidden in that one brief moment were so many more moments of loss, resilience, and hope. This fall, Julia shared her journey with Crisis Assistance Ministry volunteers gathered for their annual recognition dinner. Here, in her own words, is her story.

November 5, 2019

Last year, Julia shared her story of Thanksgiving after a visit to Crisis Assistance Ministry for help to keep her lights on. Yet, hidden in that one brief moment were so many more moments of loss, resilience, and hope.

This fall, Julia, stood and shared her journey with Crisis Assistance Ministry volunteers gathered for their annual recognition dinner.

Here, in her own words, is more of her story:

Good Evening everyone,

My name is Julia and I am here to share my story, my journey, and my truths.

In October 2015, my family decided to relocate out of Charlotte to Pennsylvania because of the barriers that we continuously faced that prevented us from having adequate housing. Due to my disability and a previous 10-year-old record, I was not able to secure a livable income either.

However, on March 13, 2016, not even 6 months later, my family suffered a tragic loss. My son, 19 years old with aspirations of joining the military died by suicide. My husband was critically injured while trying to remove the firearm. My husband was given less than a 15% chance of survival.
After several weeks in the ICU and intense care, he and I returned to Charlotte on April 9, 2016.

Once we returned, we were faced with even more despair. We were homeless and could not find any resources that would accommodate both of us. We slept in our car, against medical advice, but what could we do? After several months of being turned away from shelters and programs, my husband found work, once again against medical advice. We were able to save enough money to secure an apartment but barely had enough for the lights.

Then HOPE happened. I walked through the doors of Crisis Assistance Ministry defeated, broken, and stricken with grief. When asked at the window, what I needed, I just cried. I didn’t know where to begin.

Then a very special woman named Jackie Cunningham spoke with me. She “listened”. She then put me in touch with another special person, Tiffany Bost.

Tiffany listened too. She heard what I couldn’t even say!

Tiffany encouraged me and got me involved in the Economics Mobility program. I left that day with my lights paid and more importantly, I left with HOPE!

I received a phone call later saying that an anonymous donor had sponsored Thanksgiving dinner for my family. Again, there was that thing called HOPE. You see, since our tragedy, we hadn’t celebrated anything, but because of Crisis Assistance Ministry, we shared a Thanksgiving dinner filled with HOPE!

Crisis Assistance Ministry didn’t stop there! I was invited to be a part of the very first Customer Advocacy Training class led by yet another very special woman, Bonnie Tiernan. It was there that I found my VOICE! I found my purpose. I knew that there were many other families who had been through tragedies, felt stuck in poverty, and had lost hope. I knew this because we were that family.

Crisis Assistance Ministry is more than just a building. It’s a team of real people who treated me with humanity, dignity, respect, and NOT like a statistic. I found my true self through all the darkness because of this organization. I have made a commitment to be a VOICE for others who haven’t made it there yet.

So, I just want to say thank you to all those wonderful people who took their time, their hearts, and their listening ears. I want to say THANK YOU to Crisis Assistance Ministry! I also want to say thank you to my children and my amazing husband. ALL of you have given me HOPE!

I just want to be able to give to others what was so freely given to me.
Thank You!

For Julia, life will never be the way it was before. But, the help made possible through Crisis Assistance Ministry has enabled her to rebuild her family’s future, maintain housing, secure employment, and become an advocate for others who are going through difficult times.

Filed Under: Advocacy, Customer Stories Tagged With: Advocacy, Civic Engagement, Customer Advocate, Economic Mobility, Financial Assistance, Julia

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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Preventing homelessness.
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  • Main Office:
    500-A Spratt St.
    Charlotte, NC 28206
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Happy St Patrick's Day!  This big ole batch of 400+ granola bars will provide a little bit of sustenance to waiting families thanks to @MeckKidz from @meckchurch. Youth used "Meck Bucks" earned for participation in activities to purchase bars for the snack ministry here @CrisisAssistMin

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We loved hosting these visiting Bisons from @howard1867 as they lived out their motto of Excellence in Truth & Service here in #CLT. Thanks to them families will find essentials, free of charge, here in the @CrisisAssistMin Free Store

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Happy International Women's Day!
Today we take a look at how this year's theme of Embrace Equity affects the people (and mostly the women) served here at Crisis Assistance Ministry every day.

Observed worldwide on March 8 as a celebration of “the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women,” International Women’s Day is also a global call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

The theme for this year’s observance is “Embrace Equity.” Organizers at International Women’s Day (IWD) encourage everyone to “Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.” 

While great strides in gender equality have been achieved since women gained the right to vote in 1920, there is still much work ahead. Consider these indicators of the gender gap in the United States:
- Women full-time workers earn, on average, 82 cents for every dollar earned by men
- American women earn less than men in all industries, with the most significant pay gaps in management positions
- The construction industry has the smallest gender pay gap, but only 9% of construction workers are women
- Unpaid work like housekeeping and caring for children falls mainly to women 

Read More at the link in our bio

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The theme for Black History Month 2023 is “Resistance”, a single word that encompasses so much. Through the centuries, a long line of brave and committed Black Americans have battled injustice, some on the public stage and others behind the scenes. But for every high-profile or large-scale act of resistance, countless others go unnoticed. Every day at @CrisisAssistMin, we see brave and committed Black Charlotteans struggling to resist the forces of an unjust society right here in Mecklenburg County.
Read "Black History Month: Resisting the Status Quo" at the link in our profile.

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It was a beautiful weekend to share (more than) @onewarmcoat with our neighbors! Our friends from One Warm Coat finished up their working retreat by distributing brand new coats to families right here in our parking lot. So many smiles, a few tears of relief, and a lot of runway spins were shared.

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We 💙 💙 💙 it when community members create their own "Army" to celebrate birthdays and other milestones in each others' lives. Thanks to these #volunteers from "Eric's Army," shoppers this week found essentials like clothing, shoes, and household goods free of charge. Together, we #preservedignity for #CLT families who are struggling financially.

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We're excited to have @QCfamilytree share their expertise as our staff digs into the impact of systemic racism here in Mecklenburg County and its impact on the people served here. Thanks Greg, Helms, & Shamaiye for taking time to help us begin these important conversations.

crisisassistmin

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Saturday was hopping with these volunteers from an area Honor Society and @meckchurch making sure Free Store shoppers will find essentials free-of-charge this week! Thank you #volunteers for making it possible to serve our neighbors' basic needs.

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We are so #grateful for the team of dedicated #volunteers who volunteer their time & expertise on our Board of Directors. Today we welcome five newly elected members: Deborah Brewer, Yog Hari, Ed Holland, Deirdre John, and John Magnuson. (Learn about them through our linktree)

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