Shemeeka has been homeless and unemployed for six years. She had been in the workforce but felt that her life wasn’t going anywhere — then she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and her life began to crumble. She kept working until she couldn’t bear the stress any longer, then quit her job. She needed some help putting her life back together. Enter the Project Outreach Team (PORT) and Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) at the University of Michigan. They reached out to her to help her acquire a MAP application.
Shemeeka has never been without furniture — she already owns a sofa and two recliners — but she hasn’t had adequate bedding in her apartment. “[I’ve been sleeping] on the floor on my apartment,” she stated. Thanks to our generous furniture donors, she is now able to sleep comfortably in a bed. Taking positive steps to change one’s life is twice as hard without a good night’s sleep, but this is one thing she no longer has to worry about.
Profile by Lee Thompson-Kolar