Christina

Christina is a single mother of a baby boy and an 11-year-old son who has autism.

She says when she applied for other assistance programs, she was treated poorly. She describes her interaction at one local office, where a worker questioned her need: “The lady said ‘Well, you don’t look like you need this. This is for people who actually need it.’ And I was like – ‘What would make you think that I don’t need the help?’ And she said, ‘Well, look at the way you came in here dressed – look at your son.’ And I looked at her and I said, ‘Is your supervisor here?’ And that was even worse than the person working reception. The supervisor came out and was like, ‘Well, if you don’t like it, then you can leave – the door is here.’ And I’m like, for you to ask me because I look a certain way that I don’t need the help – that’s ignorant. How could you say that to me? I’m here because I need help. Just because I’m not dressed with holes in my shirt and my sneakers are fairly new, it doesn’t mean that I don’t need the help. I’m in a situation now where I need the help – I don’t work yet. It was just really bad.”

She said her experience with The Bridge Project has been the complete opposite. “It’s a relief that I feel – everything that I went through and all of the struggles – and then The Bridge Project came along. I swear, if it wasn’t for The Bridge Project – I don’t know where I would be mentally, physically, etc. I feel emotional.”

Christina is about to begin classes to become a Certified Nursing Assistant with the dream of becoming a Registered Nurse. She uses The Bridge Project money for necessities and to treat her kids to their favorite foods, like pepperoni.