Terri
29, Bluffton, Originally from Indiana
Terri grew up in an adopted family where tension was high. As she grew older, she looked for fast fixes to hide her problems - partying, drinking, and having physical relationships that didn’t mean anything. In a short timeframe she was in a car accident, lost her job, was evicted from her apartment, and discovered she was pregnant. She applied to AFH, and after being accepted, moved to a community she knew nothing about.
Terri reflected, “It really touched my heart for the staff to treat me so well. They loved me before they even knew me - for the first time, I felt like I was important to someone. They gave me the resources, then stepped back and let me do the work I needed to do.”
Terri decided the best thing for her son was to place him for adoption. She resolved, “I realized I could be the best mother for him by loving him enough to let him go, by giving him to someone who could provide more for him than I could.”
Her son’s birth and adoption, Terri says, were the most beautiful things she ever experienced. “It was so amazing how God could make this beautiful, precious boy. I spent time with my baby - I held him, I loved him, I kissed him.”
“The staff members supported me through everything,” said Terri. “When I delivered my baby, they came to the hospital - that’s when they became my family.”
Terri not only worked through the curriculum and learned necessary life skills, but she also paid back more than $2,000 of debt while living at AFH. Terri graduated and decided to stay in Bluffton. She maintained her job, has her apartment and continues building a relationship with her son and his adoptive family.
“This place is amazing for women who want to change their lives. If A Friend’s House did not exist, I would not have had a second chance. I would be living on the streets, living off welfare, not being able to take care of myself or my baby. I would be doing things I had no business doing in order to support myself, or maybe I’d even be dead by now. A Friend’s House provided a new start for me. I worked hard for my new start, but I couldn’t have done it without AFH.”
