Homeless pregnant women have a place to call their own now instead of raising their child on the streets. Family Promise of Lubbock is opening up it’s second house for the families in order to give them a better start at life.
“Me and my children were homeless for a few months,” said Lakeisha Guinyard, a mentor at Family Promise. “A woman who I worked with told me about this place, and that’s when it all started.”
Guinyard says she and her four children found themselves homeless after leaving a difficult marriage. She found her way to Family Promise and told her kids that everything was going to be okay.
“I told them that this was a pit stop, that I don’t know what’s on the other side, but as long as we are positive we are going to be okay,” said Guinyard.
Eventually Guinyard was able to get a more stable job, found a house, and moved forward with her life. Now she acts as a mentor for Family Promise in order to give back to the organization that gave her a jump start.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to be helping these women,” said Guinyard. “I was once in their shoes, and I tell them that if they take advantage of the opportunities before them they will walk out of here on their feet again.”
Executive Director of Family Promise, Doug Morris, says it’s not uncommon for women who were once part of the program to come back and help those out going through it.
“These women just need to be given a second chance, and to be believed,” said Morris. “They become family to us, and then they go on to help the next family, it’s amazing.”
Morris says seeing this change in the mothers and their babies makes everything worth it. Over the years families come and go, but that certain ones will always stick out to him.
“We had one mother who would tell her kids they were having a picnic, and then she would panhandle so that they could spend the night in a hotel,” said Morris. “She came here and now I am happy to say she’s independent living in a house with her three little girls.”
