Your Gift Makes a Difference

Fifteen years ago Lori Landrath wouldn’t have believed that she could be homeless. She describes herself as having a pretty much middle class family. But, Lori started drinking more and more and eventually found herself without a place to live, no job, and no hope.

A friend took her to The Salvation Army shelter. One of the rules of the shelter is sobriety, so Lori quit drinking. She started attending counseling sessions and AA and learned to control her alcohol addiction. She described her situation as a “scary, fearful world” until she could admit that she had a problem, an addition, to alcohol. She was determined to make changes in her life and get her self-respect back.

After spending several months in the shelter she moved to a transitional home where absolute sobriety was also expected. She continued counseling and worked at getting her life back on track. A part-time job at Goodwill with the support of Community Clubhouse was her first step in returning to self-sufficiency.

A few months later she moved into a mobile home with the help of the United Way funded Emergency Housing Assistance Fund. The funding from that program helped her with rent while she continues to work and rebuild her life.

Lori is currently working at a local bakery and continues to make progress on her return to independence and financial stability. She doesn’t know what the future holds, but she’s determined to face it with strength, courage and faith.

She is committed to helping others who face similar problems.  She recently told commented, “There are so many resources available… you just need to reach out. No one has to live in fear or on the streets if they don’t want to. You just have to ask yourself how badly you want to change and then go ahead with doing what needs to be done.”

Lori is taking her own advice and doing what needs to be done.