BY BRAD HADFIELD

BY BRAD HADFIELD

atasha* has been through hell. But that’s not the woman who answers the phone. When she picks it up for our interview, what comes through is pure joy. She’s off work and is back at My Sister’s House, the women’s campus at Atlanta Mission, where she’s been staying for almost a year. Despite the long day, she’s not exhausted. Instead, she’s feeling energized because she’s back at work and has a plan for the future. But before she shares it, Latasha wants to look back at how she arrived at this place in life.

“I’m a survivor of domestic violence,” she says without hesitation or shame. Instead, she’s very forthcoming, as if to make it clear that it’s not something that defines her, it’s just something that happened to her. “This was in Augusta, and it got real bad.”

To get herself and her four youngest children (ages four, six, eight, and 11) out of the situation, she packed her belongings and kids in the car and left, bound for Atlanta (her two adult children were already living outside the home).

For a while, she and the children bounced around from hotels to shelters—anywhere they could lay their heads. Sometimes they would even stay overnight in her eldest daughter’s dorm room at Kennesaw State University, leaving in the morning to get the kids to elementary school. But she knew it wasn’t fair to put that burden on her daughter. “That’s when I rented a storage unit to get all my stuff out of the car and make room for us to sleep in it.”

The property became home for a while, even after an encounter with self-storage management. “He spotted us and I just knew he was gonna call the police,” she says, but he didn’t. He told Latasha that although she couldn’t sleep in the unit, he’d look the other way if she was just sleeping in the car; he even brought her some blankets from an abandoned unit. “I appreciated that, and I tried to respect the rule he set, but sometimes it just got so cold we did go into the unit.”

Latasha was desperate to find a job—she says she’s always been a hard worker and at one point was juggling three jobs in Augusta—but it was impossible to work a schedule with a four-year-old in tow, and she certainly couldn’t afford childcare. So, she invested more time into finding assistance. Time and again she was turned away, being told she didn’t qualify. But then she stumbled upon Atlanta Mission.

“I went to the intake at Restoration House and met with the staff,” says Latasha. “Eventually, the intake lady says, ‘I need to take your picture,’ and I’m like, ‘I can stay?’”

Relief flooded over Latasha when the answer was yes. To stay, however, she had to commit to Atlanta Mission’s long-term residential transformation program, “Make Progress.” For the first time in a long time, someone wasn’t just offering her a bed for the night but rather a new path forward. Once in the program, the family received housing, childcare, meals, clothing, and counseling focused on recovery and personal growth—at no cost. She was also told she was not allowed to work right away; instead, she would be working on herself.

“That gave me time I so desperately needed,” says Latasha. “Time to grieve over what I’d lost, time to heal from the trauma, and time to find myself again.”

The Atlanta Mission had a plan for her children too: The Children’s Academy for the youngest and Centennial Academy for the other three. “They all love it,” she says. “Their teachers say they’ve seen real growth. My 11-year-old was just accepted into BEST Academy, so he’ll be going there for sixth grade.”

Latasha says having stability and structure—and knowing where they’d be staying every night—has also been a blessing. “The kids stopped asking where we’d be the next day. Now they’re running around, jumping on beds, and making new friends. They’re just being kids again.”

She also regained her spirit during this time. “I’m a strong person, that’s why I got myself out of that situation, but a person gets worn down, and I started doubting myself,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Atlanta Mission put a stop to that! With their support, I regained confidence and started believing in myself again.”

After completing Make Progress, Latasha began Next Steps, a curriculum of 64 classes that offer practical instruction alongside roleplaying scenarios, including mock interviews, to help prepare for a new job. Upon graduation, Latasha quickly found employment and is now working at the Atlanta International School in dining services. “I do cold prep, so I cut up fresh fruit every day, make yogurt parfaits, sandwiches, salads … It’s a nice cafeteria and a great school.”

Outside of work, Latasha’s focus is on finding a home—something Atlanta Mission staffers are also helping with. “It’s just a matter of time until we find something,” says Latasha, her positive attitude on full display. “I see me and the kids together in a home of our own, me moving up the ladder at work, and saving money so I can invest in my kids and whatever goals they have.”

As the call wraps up, Latasha has a message for Atlanta Mission donors. “I just want to say thank you for understanding that sometimes bad times happen to good people and someone just needs a hand. I feel like I’m on my way now thanks to you and Atlanta Mission.”

In the month since the interview, Atlanta Mission provided some wonderful news: Latasha found a two-bedroom townhome for her and the youngest children (they love their bunk beds). She also received a promotion to assistant supervisor. The future she’d described has become a reality. Mission accomplished.