Ya’Kima
Client Need: Ya’Kima
Ya’Kimais a thirty-six year old, single mother of two young girls. She contacted H.O.P.E. Inc. for financial assistance to better provide for her daughter’s as she fought depression and pursued her college studies.
Background
When Ya’Kima found herself and her daughter’s abandoned by their father, she felt hopeless and overwhelmed. Her circumstances would have been normally stressful for any mentally healthy, individual; but for Yakima, (who suffers from bipolar disease and depression) it was devastating. A victim of sexual assault, Ya’Kima found it hard to cope with life in general. She had been struggling with a sexual tragedy that occurred twice as a teenager, and found herself hospitalized for clinical depressed.
Client Situation
Ya’Kima had been suppressing the tragedy in her life for so many years, that she was afraid to deal with the pain and embarrassment. She decided to step up and face it all, for the sake of her two daughters. She began therapy in January of 2013 and attended group therapy, and things were looking up. She started working again and remained focused on her studies. However, no matter how hard she tried, being a single parent while in school was taking its toll..
She was behind on her rent and utilities, and she thought that she wouldn’t make it through her last year of college, but she found HOPE. .
“I have been struggling to stay afloat and maintain as a normal person in the world, which was not easy. “
Action
With H.O.P.E. Inc.’s assistance, Ya’Kima was able to catch up on her rent, budget her finances better through the organization’s life-skill courses, and maintain her mental health through the emotional support offered via volunteering counselors.
Ya’Kima’s life has truly been impacted. This year, January 2014, she graduated from Ashford University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Criminal Justice, and is employed FT; in which she received a promotion after 6 months.