LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than 1,600 people were without a home in Louisville last January, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
Your life can change in an instant. That's the first thing Hope Turner will tell you. One minute she was living a great life with her husband and two- and three-year-old.
The next, she was out on the street with her two girls.
"I was at a low point in my life and I was so embarrassed," Turner said. "I was just close-mouthed. I didn't wanna let nobody know what I was feeling. I was like I'm gonna deal with this by myself."
Hope Turner went from homeless to homeowner thanks to help from the Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services and now plans to begin a nonprofit. (WDRB photo)
"I lost everything," she said. "I'm talking about everything, and God gave me it all back and more."
One thing she never lost was hope.
She ended up in a shelter for nearly six months until someone referred her to the Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services.
"Everyone deserves a place to live and so because we all find ourselves in various situations and sometimes that situation leads to homelessness," Laura Winfrey, with Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services, said. "I don't think we should ever forget about those people."
She qualified for a housing voucher and the office helped her with payments for a while to get her back on her feet.
Typically, a person in the program pays 30% of their rent and the federal housing assistance pays 70%.
"I had a goal and determination," Turner said. "I wanted to be a homeowner, so I had to do all the things that I had to do to get here. I used these programs as a stepping stone."
Slowly but surely she was able to put away some money and purchased her home in December.
Hope Turner went from homeless to homeowner thanks to help from the Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services and now plans to begin a nonprofit. (WDRB photo)
"I was just really elated, like I was so happy," Turner said. "I can't even express how happy I was because this is the house that I wanted and I got it."
Now, her girls have their own rooms but most importantly a roof over their heads and a place to call home.
"They don't have to worry about 'oh we have somewhere to stay this week or what we gonna eat?' They don't have to worry about that no more because momma made sure I worked hard enough and I did everything that I could and with my strength and with God to take care of these kids to give them a better life," Turner said.
With hope and perseverance all things are possible.
Next, she wants to start her own nonprofit with the goal of giving other women hope that they can out of their dark times, too.
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