No Longer Homeless
Paris Williams works
full-time, goes to school full-time, and she is rarely at home. The good
thing is that, for the past year, she has a place she can call home.
Paris left home at age 15
after having problems with her mother, and for about six months, she was
homeless. She did what she could to survive, going from shelter to
shelter, or sleeping on friends' couches. She finally landed at LSS Rezek
House, a long-term transitional housing program, consisting of 12
apartments for 16-21 year-olds in St. Paul. Paris has been there for a
year, and plans to be there for another year until she reaches the Rezek
limit of two years.
"I was having some issues with
my Mom when I left," said Paris, who is now 17 years old. "I stayed at
several shelters before coming here, and now my life has changed. People
here are very supportive, down-to-earth, and non-judgmental."
Residents of Rezek House must
meet regularly with two case managers who help them with financial skills
and personal goals. They also must meet with other residents, where they
learn about life skills in a group setting. She is now working and going
to school.
"I'm more goal oriented now,"
Paris said about the effects of being at Rezek. "The people at Rezek help
me stay focused. I've learned a lot since I've been here, and I've seen
other residents change a lot too. I'm trying to learn as much before I
leave here and go out into the real world."
Paris goes to school at the
Area Learning Center in St. Paul, and she is scheduled to graduate in May.
She hopes to go to college and study to be a writer or a counselor. "I
have a lot of interests," she said. "LSS really helped me see that I can
do it."
Her time is taken up by two
jobs as well, one during the week at the local YWCA, and the other at the
New Harmony Care Center, a nursing home in St. Paul. At the YWCA, she
helps out with the Youth Achievement Program, an after-school program for
7-14 year-olds. LSS also helped by get her nursing assistant
certification, and she works at New Harmony on the weekends.
If that wasn't enough, she was
appointed to the National Council for Youth Policy as an at-large
representative for Minnesota. "The Council works with policies regarding
youth - including the reauthorization of the Homeless/Runaway Youth Act,
which I'm really excited about," she said.
She's now helping to plan
their annual symposium, which is being held in Washington D.C. in January,
and giving her a chance to travel.
"It feels good to give back."
