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“I’ve been struggling since I retired,” worries Bonnie, “with the cost of things going up. My property tax went from $75.00 in 2019 to $289.00 now. That is a huge jump, and my mobile home is only worth $10,000.” On a fixed income at the age of 74, funds seem to dwindle faster each year. Rent increased $100 per month last November, but the check in the mail stays the same. And so, decisions between keeping the lights on, having food, or paying for hearing aids to live alone safely are becoming a way of life. A plea for a little money to get by from her son and daughter in law sparked a conversation. “My son said there [are] programs that could help you.” Looking for resources together, they found Tina at the Lake Stevens Community Resource Center. “I’ve never lived on the system, and I had no clue that there was help.” Bonnie learned she qualified for food assistance. This freed up space in her budget for utilities and her hearing aid. Plus, “... a little extra money. I have never had that before… I haven’t been able to just buy a cheeseburger and fries in years and let me tell you, it is a treat!” Worries weigh a little less, and gratitude comes in waves. “I’m grateful I have food because you helped me get food stamps, I can keep my lights on, and I can hear. I’m sure my son is grateful for you also because I no longer ask him for money.”

Belinda Richey, the Program Director at Maud’s House, sees women struggling with homelessness, addiction, or fleeing abusive relationships. She also sees their determination to step out of the path of despair. Belinda endured the same circumstances that brought some of these women to her door. She has survived domestic violence. She has been a single mother. She has been homeless. “At one point, I was living in a trailer with no electricity or running water,” She remembers. “I would ask, ‘God, why me?’” Her VOA career began at the end of 2015 as a homelessness prevention navigator, but when the opportunity to direct Maud’s House in the spring of 2017 came up, she couldn’t get started fast enough. She wrote the program handbook from scratch and hosted activities like birthday parties to make life a little brighter for the residents. She spends her days reaching out to community leaders, business partners, and donors to secure funds to keep the doors open. This relentless work will see families graduate to employment and a home of their own. And each success is one more bittersweet farewell. Reflecting on her past to help others build her future, she remarks, “Why me? All these years later, when I got this opportunity at Maud’s House, I said, ‘Oh. That’s why.’ I was being prepared for this.” Without shelters like Maud’s House, these women – and their children – could become statistics. But Belinda doesn’t do it for recognition. She does it because she knows that the alternative is the one she’s already seen.