Life had become a daily struggle for Heather. She was doing her best to stay sober and care for her two young children, but stability felt out of reach. Living in a crowded, cramped sober-living house was far from ideal, but it was what Heather had to do to get healthy and start rebuilding her life. She wanted better for herself and her children. They needed her to keep pushing forward.

That’s why it was such a relief when she was connected with Omaha Home for Boys and started working with her Family Support Worker and Skill Builder, Jade. Together, they started setting small goals and taking practical steps toward long-term independence.

“I already felt like I was stretched pretty thin,” Heather shared. “So just to have that extra support was great.”

Finding housing became Heather’s biggest challenge. Though she received a housing voucher, she faced constant rejection from landlords unwilling to accept it. And when the voucher eventually expired, it felt like a devastating setback. Still, Heather and Jade refused to give up. They kept searching, touring apartments, and focusing on skills like resume building and budgeting to make sure this time, the stability would last.

“It’s been amazing to see how Heather has kept such a positive attitude through everything, even in the conditions she was in,” shared Jade. “She always put in the hard work and made time for work and her family support appointments.”

Through it all, the driving force behind every step Heather took was her children. “They were counting on me,” she said. “I wanted better for them.”

And she’s made it happen. Today, Heather is living with a mentor family while continuing to work toward full independence. She finally has safe, stable housing and her children are thrilled to have their own space to call home.

“It feels really nice,” Heather said. “Just going from where I was in a sober-living house with eight of us women and seven kids, it was a lot. So now, for me and my kids to have our own rooms right now, it’s just really nice.”

For Heather, the chaos has given way to calm, and each new day brings more confidence in the path she’s creating for her family. “Everything OHB has done has been a really big help. I know I can always reach out to them,” she said.