Taylor still remembers the first time she realized that not everybody lived in a shelter.

She was 8 years old and went over to a friend’s house to play. When she discovered that her friend was not constantly moving from place to place each day, she was shocked. For as long as she could remember, she and her family never had a place to call home.

Taylor’s mother is mentally ill and had trouble keeping a job. That also meant that she was unable to ever pay rent on time. Because of that, Taylor, her mom, and her older sister didn’t have an apartment or home to live in. Instead, they stayed in a different place every night. Sometimes they could stay with friends, but mostly they stayed in shelters.

Taylor’s mom never told her to keep their living situation a secret, but once Taylor realized that the way they lived wasn’t typical she was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it.

In addition to the unstable living situation, Taylor faced other challenges. Her mom couldn’t afford things like new clothes, so Taylor was often made fun of at school for the way she dressed. She was also behind in school because she was too concerned with where she would be sleeping each night to worry about homework.

When Taylor’s sister started high school, she decided to move in with her boyfriend’s family. Taylor was devastated to not see her sister every day. She decided she was fed up with her family’s unpredictable lifestyle.

One day after school, she decided not to meet her mom. Instead, she wandered the streets. Once it got dark, she was scared but didn’t know what else to do. She wasn’t even sure if her mom would be looking for her.

Fortunately, a police officer found Taylor before anything could happen to her. And, fortunately, he suggested Mercy Home to Taylor, who was very interested in the idea of having a safe place to go home to each day. She moved in right away.

Even though Taylor was relieved and happy to be at Mercy Home, there was a lot to get used to. She had never had a schedule to adhere to. She had never done chores before. And she had never had a room of her own.

But after an adjustment period, Taylor began to thrive. She discovered that she loved to learn and actually enjoys doing her homework now! Her grades have been improving steadily since coming to our Home.

But most importantly, Taylor now has something no child should ever be without: a home. We are deeply grateful to our compassionate friends like you who have given kids like Taylor this precious gift. Thank you for allowing us to change the lives of our children.

Because we care deeply about our children, some of the identifying details of this story have been changed.