News & Events

High Hopes?

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May 04, 2021

 

Honestly, we didn’t have high hopes for him. His tumultuous childhood painted a bleak picture for his future.

 

His father had asked him to leave home at 16, feeling like he was enough of an adult to make it on his own. His mother was lost in the bottle somewhere in Texas. Starting his life in an orphanage in Russia, this was a familiar pattern of neglect and abandonment that he's experienced since birth.

 

HART met him through a school counselor when she discovered that he was living in a tent in a friend’s backyard. Now 18, he was eligible for HART to help him.

 

Before moving to Elk Grove, it was readily apparent he had lived in the South. “Yes ma’am, no ma’am”, always polite and respectful, so grateful for the help and shelter he got while at the Grace House.

 

With the diligent support of his mentor, he graduated from high school. We cheered him on and breathed a sigh of relief on graduation day. Now to find a job.

 

Again, his mentor worked tirelessly to help Hugo apply for multiple jobs. Follow-through was not his strong point. Landing a job on the assembly line at Apple was huge victory. But honestly, we all held our breath, expecting it wouldn’t last long.

 

Hugo proved us wrong. Not only has he been working for Apple more than a year, he's also been promoted and transferred to another facility out of state which is closer to his grandmother who still cares about him.

 

Mentoring is not an easy job, but Elk Grove HART’s dedicated volunteers have proven repeatedly the great value of walking with those who are struggling, encouraging them along the way. Hugo’s future looks bright because of his mentor that never gave up on him. A huge thank you to our amazing mentors!

 

Please give generously on May 6th, the Big Day of Giving, to help give others like Hugo a chance at success.  https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/elkgrovehart

Everybody Loses

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April 30, 2021

 

Domestic violence is a crime littered with victims. In this case, a mother with four children.

 

It started out slowly. Over time, the aggression increased and so did the excuses at the emergency room. A bike accident, a fall, running into a cabinet ... until a doctor recognized there were too many injuries to be explained with these excuses.

 

She had tried to escape, even crawling through a fence to meet her social worker. Despite several calls to shelters, they could find no available beds. As she was crawling back through the fence, he caught her. More violence. For several weeks, he kept mom and the children his prisoners, never allowing them to leave the house. The one person who was supposed to love them preyed upon them, often bloodying them in his fits of rage.

 

The abuse went on for years; she has the scars to prove it. Child Protective Services finally intervened, and suddenly the children were gone. With the one thing mom had to live for now taken away, she became broken, a shell of who she once was. Still the abuse continued. Like many victims of domestic violence, she had come to believe the venom he spewed at her.

 

Desperately missing her children, divorce was the only way to get her children back. That last beating was so bad that it sent him to prison. She recovered and worked hard to get her children back, but soon found themselves without a home.

 

She now has her own cleaning business and is going to college, determined that the cycle of abuse ends with her. Mom and kiddos will soon be moving into a brand-new apartment, fully furnished by one of HART’s partnering churches. Mom is overwhelmed with gratitude and is starting to recognize just how valuable she really is.

 

Please give generously to HART on the Big Day of Giving to help us restore hope... for those who have lost all hope.  You can donate here:  https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/elkgrovehart

 

 

A Storm Approaching

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April 27, 2021

Some say this is one of the worst housing markets in Sacramento County history. The shortage is so tremendous that you compete with 20 other applicants or more when you try to rent a place.