Guidance and a Plan Helped Charley Move Beyond Survival Mode

It cost Charley and her son $46 a day to stay in the Super 8. It was $46 she didn't have.

“I’d wake up every morning at that hotel and I'm like, man, I gotta find a way to make up this $46 a day," Charley said. "While he was at school, I had to figure out what I was gonna feed my kid when he got home from school and how I was going to pay this impossible $46 because you know I just didn't have it at the time.”

Scared, jobless, and living day to day, Charley felt she had no options and she was desperate for guidance.

“I wasn't asking for free handouts. I was asking for somebody who could guide me to where I needed to be what I need to do-the steps I could take to get out of trouble.”

Through The Hub in Batesville and the 100 Families Initiative, Charley received not only immediate support but a clear action plan.

“Having the goals that we've set down and that we've kind of set for—it gives me kind of something to look at and something to be like, okay, well, today I'm waking up and today I need to work towards this because I want to achieve everything that I want to achieve.”

That clarity and structure gave Charley the momentum she needed—and the results came quickly. She is now stably housed and has reliable, legal, and insured transportation. She remains employed full-time as a home health aide and earns enough income to meet her financial obligations. Her driver's license has been reinstated, and she has no current legal issues. Childcare for her son is covered through STARS, and she now has Medicaid and a primary care provider.

“I have achieved every single short term goal I have set for a year and and I've achieved all of them within a month and a half.”

Charley also reports that her mental health is strong and that she continues to feel safe each day. She has maintained her sobriety since October and credits her success not only to her own determination but to the support of her 100 Families Family Advocate and the many wraparound services that came alongside her.

Her next goal is to enroll in the LPN program at UACCB. Through hard work and healing, Charley has also restored a loving connection with her family—creating a solid foundation of support and long-term stability not just for herself, but for her child as well.

Charley’s journey from crisis to stability is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when communities invest in families—and when families like hers rise to meet the moment.