Our Stories
Neomi
- Neomi has been a resident at New Life Beginnings since April of 2021. Since April, this year has been a turning point as she was unhappily married for seven years and had three beautiful daughters. Her husband was extremely controlling and abusive. To mask the pain and suffering she felt, she turned to alcohol. Her life became unmanageable. Social services stepped in and removed her children from her custody. She left her husband and found out she was pregnant. Realizing she was not going to be able to change her lifestyle on her own. Homeless, no income, pregnant, now trying to keep her sobriety, and get reunified with her girls, Neomi called every homeless shelter with no luck. With little hope to spare, she found NLB. Neomi now has a sense of structure and stability. She attends AA meetings three times a week and will soon complete her outpatient program. With the help of NLB, she is looking forward to being reunified with her children and enjoy her pregnancy. After giving birth to her son, she plans on going to work as a medical assistant.
Osias
- Mary came to us with very little hope of getting her children back. Her children had been taken away from her and were scheduled to be permanently placed in the homes where they were living in. Nate says: “We had to leave because my mom couldn't pay for bills for our house. And I couldn't do anything to help. But I didn't give up. I tried praying to God to help us. Eventually, God did. But He rewarded us more than just that.” Mary had already been turned away from other shelters by the time she found New Life Beginnings. She had no income, too many children, and many additional reasons. Now with hard work, all of her children are back with her and happy. They are in school and doing excellent. Mary herself is in school and preparing to take the state exam for nursing. One of our purposes at New Life Beginnings is to keep families together by providing ongoing shelter, hope, and love for homeless pregnant women and their children.
Rios
- With no stability, living on the streets, and sleeping anywhere Stefani could, she found herself masking the pain with alcohol and finding comfort in abusive relationships. Through these crazy years, she became a mother to 3 beautiful girls: Kayla, Lauryn, and Kyleigh. She started to recognize the pain and fear in their little faces from her dangerous, abusive, alcoholic lifestyle that she had once lived herself as a child. Stephanie knew she had to change before she filled their childhoods with horrible memories and irreparable damage. “This place is so much more than a shelter, this is my home, my family, a life-changing experience. Since I entered New Life Beginnings, I have been completely sober. I’ve become a new believer in Jesus Christ and so have my children. I now know what it means to be a mother and to have your children come first. My girls are so happy here. Emotionally and physically they are stronger. They have even just recently started to bring awards home from school, and my oldest tells me how proud she is of me!”
Treasure
- Treasure was pregnant, lost her job, and was evicted from her apartment. She had been a victim of repeated abuse and sexual exploitation. Sadly, a homeless center was the only option left for her. Despite the homeless center informing external services that they didn’t have accommodation available for Treasure because she was pregnant, she was dropped at the door of a drop-in center at 4 PM with her little bit of possessions and no plan. There she met a social worker that heard her story and wanted to help in any way she could. They called almost every shelter in the county with no luck, until they called us. The worker personally drove Treasure from Pomona to us by 9 PM... With our guidance, Treasure’s determination was impressive, especially when it came to her attending all of our in-home classes, such as parenting, domestic violence, counseling, and many others. She writes notes, asks questions, and stays after class to talk about what she just learned and how she plans to use it in her life. Still, the most important gift Treasure received was hope. With NLB and with the help of our supporters, Treasure got the second chance she deserved to find a brighter, better, and safe future, away from crisis, and toward confidence.
Issiah
- Karen was on the verge of losing the baby that she was pregnant with. They wanted to take Issiah away from her as soon as he was born because she didn’t have a safe place to bring him home to, but because of New Life Beginnings, she got to keep him. Karen remembered waking up to her mother crying and with bruises all over her body, sometimes on her face as well. She never thought she would go down that road. But then she met the father of Issiah. Karen couldn’t even tell you what happened but she unknowingly followed her mother's path. He was her first boyfriend. He was also a drug addict and abusive. Karen lost herself in him. Today she is very happy to have found NLB and to have us in her life. Karen has a safe place to call home for her and Issiah. She is enrolled in college for business and plans on graduating. Issiah is healthy and growing so fast. Every child at NLB will have the opportunity to learn, play, and thrive. NLB helps create a better tomorrow for the children and their families.
Martha
- “It’s nice here, it’s comfortable,” says Martha. “It’s a relief.” Martha and her 8 children had been living in their van and jumping from family and friend's houses for months. No one would take her with all of her children. Martha's husband had been abusive for years, but she was okay with it because he never hurt the children. Until he did. She knew she had to save her children, as well as herself. New Life Beginnings was the first stable home environment they have had in a long time. When they first arrived, the things they needed help with included clothing, soap, and towels. Martha and her children got the second chance they deserved to find a brighter, better, and safe future, away from crisis and toward confidence. New Life Beginnings. Cherishing Life. Honoring Motherhood. Empowering women.
Juan
- Juan Carlos came to our Mothers Home at a time when he and his mother had lost all hope. The day before Christmas, he and his mother showed up at our door. They were running away from his abusive father in Los Angeles. Their one Christmas wish was to reunite with their family in Texas. We immediately reached out to our donors with their Christmas wishes. One of our donors was so touched by their story, they contacted us and offered to make their wish come true. Today, the family still keeps in touch and is thriving. Here at New Life Beginnings, every story, every situation is different. Though situations may be similar, no two are the same. With the help of our donors, we are able to assess and meet the need of various situations. With New Life Beginnings, there is hope.
Dan & Jamie
- Dan, the mother of beautiful Jamie, came to the United States hopeful of living out the American dream. Unfortunately, after a few years in the United States, Dan became homeless with her five-year-old daughter. She says: “What scared me the most about being homeless is the temptation to do things that will make it worse. The moment I came to New Life Beginnings, I felt safe. I found a place where I could interact with people who made me feel like a better person, people who have goals and know where they want to go.” Our mother and child program is specially designed for mothers like Dan. As she and her daughter fight to make a better life for themselves, New Life Beginnings is there to help.
Destiny
- Baby Destiny came to our shelter with her mother who had lost her apartment. Embarrassed that she lost her apartment and was now pregnant, she could not bear the thought of calling her father to say that she was pregnant and homeless. She came to our shelter and wrestled with that phone call to her father. After several weeks with us, she finally mustered up the courage to make the phone call. A few weeks later, she was able to return home and continue her pregnancy with her family’s love and support. Our Mothers Home is here for these women, whether they are with us for a long time or just a short visit.
Jakiyah
- For nearly three weeks, after she was forced to leave her apartment, Shiree and her 3-year old daughter, Jakiyah, called a bush in a park home. Shiree was 8 months pregnant, desperate, and homeless. Because she was pregnant, no other shelter would take her. “The weather had been so cold and we were so scared. I would hold Jakiyah so close to me to keep her warm and safe. She would have to be quiet so that no one would discover us.” Then she found New Life Beginnings. Had anyone reported Shiree, she would have lost the little she had left and loved: her children. “My daughter and I lived under a bush in a local park. Now we call New Life Beginnings home.” Jakiyah has become a big sister who loves to help her mother take care of her baby brother. Her most cherished and important job is to choose JV's clothes and help her mother dress him. Residing in our Mothers Home has allowed our women to give birth with dignity and keep all of their children safe while making tremendous strides to accomplish their goals.
Jessica
- Jessica came to us scared, seeking shelter. She stated that she was at a co-ed shelter where she felt very unsafe and was desperate to get out because she did not want to be abused. She was a victim of human trafficking since the age of 18 and just recently escaped that life. She was removed from her mother’s care as a baby due to drug use. Since she was an infant, she bounced around from shelter to shelter never having anyone to truly love and care for her. As Jessica became an adult, she knew that she deserved better and reached out for help. She found New Life Beginnings with the help of a friend. New Life Beginnings helps single, pregnant, and parenting mothers but nobody else was willing to help Jessica, so we took her into our program. During her time here, she got job training and was able to find housing for victims of human trafficking where she will also be provided with other resources so that she may live a better life.
Delilah & N'Veah
- Meet Delilah and her daughter N’Veah. When Delilah came to our program, she felt scared and lost. Since she was a child, she spent years in and out of foster care. Her parents were alcoholics and could not care for her. At a young age, she turned to drugs and was in unhealthy relationships for years. While on the streets, she solicited herself for money and became pregnant with her daughter. She got herself clean when she had her daughter but then got back into a bad relationship and ended up with an open DCFS case because of domestic violence. Delilah knew she had to make changes in her life in order to keep her daughter. She called New Life Beginnings looking for shelter because she was sleeping in her car with her daughter and had no money to rent a motel room. She was afraid that child services was going to take N’Veah out of her care. With the help of New Life Beginnings, Delilah was able to have her case closed, completed domestic violence classes and was promoted to a live-in staff position because she did so well in the program. Delilah also applied to college, which is something she always wanted to do. She was able to get low-income housing and a job, which made Delilah proud of herself. She now knows that she never has to return to her old lifestyle. At New Life Beginnings, Delilah found God and developed a relationship with Him and her life is the best it’s been in many years.
Jessica
- Jessica’s story is a wonderful one! Jessica battled with drugs and alcohol since she was a teen. During those years she had 5 children, 3 of which she lost custody of due to drug use. She knew she had to change her ways, so she got into a sober living program and became drug and alcohol-free. However, it was already too late and her rights to her daughters were going to be terminated. On the court date of the termination of her rights, she saw our Director there whom she had met a few years ago. She explained to her that she was about to lose her children for good and that she was also seeking shelter for herself and her youngest daughter, Carolina. Our Director had her move into our program right away and 3 weeks later, we went to court to fight for her parental rights. Not only did her rights not get terminated, but she was also able to accomplish getting unmonitored visits, overnight visits, and eventually full custody of her daughters Jessica, Arriana, and Desiree. They are now all living at New Life Beginnings and are thriving in academics, bonding with their mom, and building a new life together with happy memories. With the programs at New Life Beginnings, Jessica continues to maintain a sober and healthy lifestyle for herself and her children.
Daffanie
- Daffanie came to us with her two young daughters, Kathi and Lacy. She was in an unhealthy relationship and knew she had to get out of it to keep her and her children safe. She stayed at a different shelter while she was pregnant but had stayed the maximum amount of time and had nowhere to go. Her mom was ill and lived in a small place where she could not go so she reached out to New Life Beginnings and moved in a few days before Christmas. We were able to gather several gifts for her family to enjoy. During the time Daffanie has been here, she has accomplished so much. She did so well in our program that we promoted her to a live-in staff position. She was able to attend CNA school and even got herself a job at her internship site. She saved up enough money for a car that she desperately needed and has now saved up enough money to look for an apartment for her family. When Daffanie came to us, she was very shy, scared, and confused. Now, she is a hardworking, independent person ready for anything because of the love and support she has been given here at New Life