In August of 2022, Melanie faced a harrowing ordeal when she was attacked and held captive in her own home by her roommate for over 15 hours. Now serving a 3-year prison sentence as a result of this incident, her attacker left her with permanent injuries that will last a lifetime, compounded by severe PTSD. Struggling to maintain employment due to her debilitating injuries, she found herself in dire financial straits.
Originally enrolled in a HUD housing assistance program with her former husband, they became ineligible for housing support once he began receiving full VA disability benefits. This setback plunged her into further hardship.
Enduring abuse and consequently divorcing, she found herself alone, grappling with soaring rent and utilities costs, leaving her with virtually no disposable income after her minimal SSD payments. She relied on local food banks and SNAP benefits, barely scraping by, while supplementing her income with online surveys and odd jobs, restricted by her physical limitations.
In October 2023, she walked through our doors for the first time. She was seeking food assistance from our healthy food pantry.
“I was helped by a lovely woman named Mary Anne. She realized by my ID that I am a veteran and gave me a wonderful bag of personal hygiene items from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation and then took the time to tell me about the DVNF and their grant programs. I went home and applied for a grant the following day to assist with rent and bills. Less than 3 weeks later, I received an email from the DVNF telling me they were paying my electric bill [that I was struggling to pay on my own] and applying $500 towards my rent. For me, this was life changing. It was just the hand up that I needed to get my life back in order.” she said.
After receiving the grants from the DVNF, Melanie was able to catch up on all of her bills. Shortly after her visit to Daystar, she received a call from a local low-income high-rise on the day before Christmas Eve in 2023. They had an apartment available for her and she moved in before the first of the year.
Melanie shared, “It’s all because of your volunteers and your organization. You never know what someone’s story is, or how they came to be at a point where they need a hand up. This has changed my life. I can’t thank you enough. I also passed on the DVNF information to a PTSD group from the VA that I am seeking help with, so… one act of kindness is setting off a domino effect.”
It’s incredible how compassion can carry far reaching consequences. It was a pleasure to be of service to Melanie. She expressed interest in becoming a volunteer herself at Daystar soon. Her story inspires us to keep moving our mission forward, because you never know when someone is down on their luck, and one act of kindness can change a life.
