Building a Bridge Toward Stability

When Immediate Support Creates Room to Rebuild

Earlier this year, life looked very different for Shantel, a 32-year-old single mother of four young children.

She was working as a medical technician and caregiver and maintaining a stable home in Wimauma. Her children were in school, she was working, and there was a sense of routine, peace, and comfort in knowing where the family would return at the end of each day. Her intake notes that she last experienced that kind of stability before moving out of her home in March.

Then, at the end of her lease, her landlord sold the house.

Without enough income to immediately secure another home, Shantel and her children were displaced. Much of what they owned was placed into storage, but those belongings were eventually lost. Since then, the family has moved between hotels and the homes of friends, often taking things one day at a time.

The instability also affected Shantel’s employment. After relocating from Wimauma to Tampa, she had to leave her previous job. She has continued actively looking for work while trying to secure stable housing and care for her children.

Through Victory in Deliverance Center, one of Love INC’s Church Partners, Shantel was connected with Love INC of Metro Tampa.

From there, support began coming together.

Love INC provided direct assistance, including significant support through ASO funding, while Lifespring Seventh-day Adventist Church also came alongside the family. Chaplain Danny Sierra, a member of Lifespring SDA, personally contributed support as well. Love INC Executive Director Chalette Davis also personally supported Shantel and her children, including taking the family grocery shopping to help meet immediate food needs. Together, these efforts provided practical relief during a season when Shantel and her children needed it most.

 

 

Through a combination of Love INC support, ASO funding, church partnership, and individual generosity, Shantel’s family received help with temporary hotel accommodations, groceries, and other immediate needs. Her case notes reflect that Love INC had already helped with hotel support and groceries while she continued working toward longer-term solutions.

But this Love Story is not only about what Shantel has received.

It is also about what she is doing.

Shantel has continued pursuing employment and working toward a more stable future for her family. Her case plan identifies housing stability, returning to school, full-time employment, and eventually owning a home as important goals.

She has also taken a close look at her finances.

Using a handwritten weekly budget, Shantel mapped out the cost of temporary lodging, transportation, food, and other essentials. She identified where her income was falling short and began developing a plan to close the gap through overtime, additional work opportunities, and better financial planning.

Reliable transportation has also become an important part of that plan. For Shantel, having access to a vehicle is not simply about convenience. It affects her ability to get to work, take her children to appointments and school meetings, and consistently follow through on housing and employment opportunities.

Her written goals are clear: become financially secure, regain reliable transportation, support her children’s needs, and build a budget that can sustain her family over time.

At the same time, she has been working through the steps required for housing assistance and has expressed interest in participating in Love INC’s REACH Transformational Ministries, particularly Work Life.

The road ahead is not finished, but Shantel is moving.

Love INC’s role has been to help provide a temporary bridge—a safe place to sleep, groceries, encouragement, connections, and practical support while Shantel continues doing the hard work required to rebuild.

Her story is a reminder that meaningful compassion is not simply about meeting an immediate need. It is about walking alongside someone in a way that recognizes their strengths, encourages responsibility, and supports the steps they are already taking toward a more stable future.

Shantel does not need indefinite assistance.

She needs enough support to cross the gap between where her family is today and the stability she is actively working to rebuild tomorrow.

This is Love INC in action—meeting immediate needs, mobilizing churches and caring individuals, leveraging resources like ASO funding, and helping families build a bridge toward lasting stability and hope.