Humility of Mary Housing helped mom turn life around

By Barb Arland-Fye

Trish Turner and her daughter, Adriana, are grateful for the support that Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. provided to them when Trish was a new teenage mom striving to provide for Adriana and herself. They lived in the Davenport house pictured behind them while Trish gained the skills and education she needed to become successful.

Seventeen years ago, Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. in Davenport gave a teenage mom a sense of hope she desperately needed at the lowest point in her life. Trish Turner, then 17, had turned to Humility of Mary because of overwhelming responsibilities: juggling school, work, parenthood and securing a safe place to live.
The mother of one of her closest friends gave Trish the phone number for Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. “I never would have thought a phone call would have been such a saving grace.”
The supportive transitional and permanent housing program, now in its 23rd year, provides single-parent families experiencing homelessness with opportunities for growth and development that could result in self-sufficient living. Each family receives a furnished apartment and pays rent based on income and as determined by U.S. Housing and Urban Development standards.
“If you don’t have a place to call home and you don’t have food to put on the table, you can’t do anything else. When participants have these basic needs met, then they can work on goals,” said Sister Mary Ann Vogel, CHM, HMHI’s finance director.
After being accepted into the program, Trish worked closely with a service coordinator who helped her to develop a personalized plan outlining the goals she wanted to achieve. The service coordinator met regularly with Trish to assist her in assessing her strengths, abilities and skills.

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