We Found Ourselves Homeless

Meet Briyanna, Single Mother

Briyanna is a single mom. She's only 23 and her daughter is five. Briyanna grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and her daughter was born at a local hospital only three months after Briyanna turned 17.

When Briyanna was a young child, she delighted her mother with her dreams of being a brain surgeon. She even once emptied out an entire box of BAND-AIDS and plastered them all over her dolls from head to toe.

Her dreams were stalled, however, when Briyanna's mom passed away from a heart attack when Briyanna was only ten years old. With no father in the picture, and no family in Ohio, Briyanna was put into foster care. Like many in her situation, her attitude and behavior changed. She started acting out, getting into trouble, and picking fights with other children. When her original foster family no longer wanted to deal with her, Briyanna was moved to another home in Columbus. She was put into a new school, and her behavior continued, causing her to be moved into a third home in just over a year. By the time she was 15, Briyanna had been placed in no less than eight homes in five different cities. She had no sense of stability or support. She had difficulty bonding with people and, looking back, believes she was suffering from depression.

In an attempt to find love and heal her broken heart, Briyanna fell in with a rough crowd, started dating a man in his twenties, and dropped out of school at 16. She found herself pregnant only a few months later. This is when, she tells us, she knew she would never be a nurse or in the health care industry. Her already broken heart seemed to break just a little bit more.

Devastated, Briyanna moved in with her boyfriend, who sold illegal substances to earn a living. As her belly grew with their new baby, her boyfriend became more distant and verbally abusive. Briyanna dealt with it; where else did she have to go?

Once Briyanna had Keveena, her life changed.

Meet Keveena, Five Year Old Rockstar

Keveena, born when her mother was only 18, entered this world full of life, beauty, and ferocity. From a young age, this little one let her opinions known. Her intelligence was evident by the age of three, when she was able to recite the entire alphabet. Her mother, Briyanna, saw in her daughter what Briyanna's mother had seen in her: intelligence, ambition, and drive. 

Briyanna made a decision: she would work as hard as she needed to in order to give her daughter a better life.

Five years later, Briyanna found herself homeless with a five year old.

Homelessness Finds Briyanna & Keveena

Five years after giving birth to her daughter, Keveena, Briyanna was living on her own and supporting her daughter with a minimum wage job at the local supermarket. She wasn't proud of what she did, but she was determined to do everything she could to ensure her daughter's life was nothing short of amazing. She had moved on from her drug dealing boyfriend, put food on the table every night, she made sure her daughter had the best care while she was at work, and Briyanna even attempted to rekindle her relationship with the aunt who had taken her in at 18. She repeatedly told Keveena how beautiful, talented, intelligent, and worthy she was.

It wasn't enough.

Briyanna was laid off from her job at the supermarket and suddenly found herself with no income and no way to provide for her beloved daughter. It brought back memories of when her mother had passed away and she'd found herself pregnant.

When she couldn't make rent for three months in a row, Briyanna was evicted from her apartment.

She and her daughter moved into their minivan. After their first night sleeping in the vehicle, Briyanna called 2-1-1. She begged for emergency shelter for herself and her daughter. Like so many local families, Briyanna and Keveena were placed on a waiting list of over 120 families and individuals before they could enter Shelter.

A New Chapter: Beach House Family Shelter

Entering Beach House Family Shelter was a new chapter in the lives of Briyanna and Keveena. They were assigned a case worker who helped Briyanna determine what she needed to help her get back on her feet. After a few weeks, Briyanna was enrolled in classes to get her GED. She also participated in parenting and economic classes at Providence Center.

Briyanna felt hope returning to her and thrived in the environment of stability and consistency at Beach House Family Shelter. She told her case manager, "I'm going to make it out of this. I'm moving forward."

Her case manager said that, during her time in Shelter, "I always tried to remind B.R. of her resilience and resourcefulness."

After four months at Beach House Family Shelter, Briyanna and Keveena moved into their new apartment. They continue to receive aftercare and support from their case manager, who will be with them for the next two years. The goal is to help Briyanna live independently and control her finances.

Briyanna continues to struggle to overcome the challenges associated with being moved to multiple families in different parts of the state. She has gained employment and independent housing and is building a family support system by reconnecting with relatives she hadn't heard from in years.

** Names have been changed and stock images are used to protect our Participants’ identities.**

Help Us Out!

If Briyanna and Keveena's story inspired you, and you'd like to help us out, please consider volunteering at our organization. We'd love to have you!

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