The 50-year-old rides the city bus system, and waiting for buses to make their connections creates a 5 hour trip to and from work each day.
On Monday morning, Jan. 28, after her overnight shift as a pharmacy technician, Stephanie headed to HVAF headquarters for a short meeting. Little did she know that the meeting was a cover for a larger surprise.
HVAF staff and TV news crews greeted Stephanie when she arrived at our building.
On this rainy day, Stephanie’s joyful laughter of excitement and appreciation warmed our hearts.
“Receiving this car is better than amazing, it’s life-changing,” says Stephanie. “This will be a huge help in cutting down my travel time, and I will now be able to sleep more and be better rested for my shift work.”
A little more than a year ago Stephanie became homeless, the transition from military to civilian life was challenging. She didn’t have steady employment and was sleeping on a friend’s couch.
Stephanie learned about HVAF through a friend. And in February 2011, she entered HVAF’s transitional housing program, moving into the Moreau House.
Soon, she found full-time work at a downtown pharmaceutical company, but she was forced to rely on public transit without her own car, creating that daily 5 hour commute to travel just 13 miles round trip.
Stephanie’s long commute and her longer journey to return to complete independence became a popular topic of discussion for HVAF staff, and when Allan Ware, a 21-year retired Army veteran, came to us wanting to donate his used car to a veteran in need we looked no further than Stephanie.
“I ultimately felt HVAF was the right fit for this donation, and this is exactly what I wanted to do with the vehicle,” Allan says. “It is now in the hands a veteran who was in need of transportation.”
It’s a single gift of a car that has the power to drive forward Stephanie’s return to an independent and productive life.
