My name is Jada Cooper. I am a single mother of a nine year old son name Devon. This is my testimony: Almost nine years ago, I was ALONE, AFRAID, HOPELESS with no one and no place to go. HOMELESS. After calling the Housing Resource Center (HRC), I received many numbers to shelters that served pregnant woman and their children. Despite, the overpopulated shelters in the St. Louis area, I began to call many shelters and there were no vacancies.

I called HRC again and explained my urgency to find shelter or I could spend the night in my car. The pleasant voice on the phone suggested Our Lady’s Inn and also reminded me there are no guarantees of a vacancy, but that I should call, anyway. I called Our Lady’s Inn and a voice on the other end picked up and said, "Hi, this is Our Lady’s Inn, my name is Mary." From that moment, my intake process began. While I was expecting another, "Ma’am, we are full", Mary instead asked me if I could bring my belongings right away to Our Lady’s Inn, because there was a vacancy." I was relieved to know that a door wasn’t closed in my face and that I was accepted without judgments.

From that moment forward, getting into shelter was the beginning of accessing stable housing. I began to prepare for the birth of my new baby boy at Our Lady’s Inn. I was finally welcomed with open arms, not rejection. Our Lady’s Inn helped me to become more self-sufficient through humble acts of love, including their supportive services such as emotional support, spiritual support, stable housing and the longevity of accessing secure employment towards gaining permanent housing stability. As a client of Our Lady’s Inn, I was able to access

After-Care supportive services, which encouraged me to go back and continue my education. From St. Louis Community College, I then earned my Associates of Applied Sciences Degree in Human Services and a Certificate of Proficiency in Addictions Study.

Currently, I am a full-time college student at the University of Missouri Saint Louis working on my Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts with a Minor in Psychology, Minor in Sociology and a Certificate of Public Relations. My son and I are one of the many humble acts of love through the support of Our Lady’s Inn.