November 8,2011

Tricia and her husband emigrated from Eritrea in 2005. Within a few months of arriving in the United States, Tricia became pregnant. Tricia knew her life would be full of changes, however, she never expected her loving relationship with her husband to turn abusive. With no one to reach out to, Tricia withstood the abuse for months, fleeing from her husband just days after their daughter was born.

Initially, Tricia fled to a domestic violence shelter, but within days, found herself at Carpenter’s doorstep where she stayed for the next 8 months. While at Carpenter’s Shelter, Tricia searched for a job during the day and worked on improving her English at night. Within a few weeks, Tricia began working at a local hotel as a house keeper but dreamed of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse. After moving out of the Shelter and into stable housing, Tricia continued to attend Aftercare workshops and never missed a Mom’s Night Out event.

Still set on becoming an LPN, Tricia was awarded a scholarship from our Education Fund which help made her dream of becoming a nurse a reality. Today, Tricia is a certified home care provider for the City of Alexandria and she and her daughter have just purchased their first home! Tricia was able to save over $2,000 and with a double match grant from the Virginia Individual Development Account program, she and her daughter were able to afford the closing costs and are now proud homeowners.