Neleah's Story

When I was in high school I started really struggling with mental health. This made school hard and I wasn’t getting any support at home. My mom was a single parent who wasn’t around much, and wouldn’t sign papers for me to see a therapist.

Everyday I was just trying to survive and looking for resources. Despite feeling like the absolute worst, I had to do school on top of it. There was a lot of stress and things I needed to do, and navigating this as a minor with no experience of adulthood was very difficult. There was even one time my social worker got sick and was out of office and I was totally alone for over a month trying to figure out how to get food and other resources.  

I ended up dropping out of school and after my 18th birthday, I left home. I was dealing with so much depression and anxiety and realized there was nothing I could do to fix the toxic relationship I had with my mom.

I began couch hopping with family members and friends, trying to figure out housing and get food stamps. Because I was couch hopping, I couldn’t get housing help because I technically wasn’t considered “homeless.” I was living with a person with five kids so at the time it wasn’t permanent, but I also wasn’t considered homeless enough. There were many times I was very close to staying in shelters or outside, but I couldn’t even find shelter beds because they were full.

Thankfully my social worker connected with YouthLink. They put me up in a hotel, and eventually a transitional living program but I was struggling to find a job and pay for basic needs. Getting a job was hard because I wasn’t getting any phone calls or interviews, and when I did get them I was turned away for a lack of experience, and because I didn’t have a professional resume. 

I eventually got in touch with Goodwill for resume help, and that’s when they introduced me to Wildflyer Coffee. I could tell a difference right away because I wasn’t judged when I came into the interview. Everyone is really nice, and I’ve been able to not only provide for myself, but take care of myself. I’ve enjoyed learning about the food and beverage industry, and they’ve been really flexible with my school hours which is important to me because I’m trying to graduate. I can have fun at Wildflyer, and I like that our coffee is meant to be nice and inviting.

I think the most important thing I’ve learned while working at Wildflyer has been time management and meeting expectations. I’ve learned how to prioritize and make a plan of how I’m going to get my work done, manage my time flow, and learning how to be calm during busy times. Communicating with other people has also been huge, because before, I tried to do everything by myself. 

What I want people to know about youth experiencing homelessness is that It’s super complicated. It takes a long long time because even after a month of being in a hotel I was still homeless because housing wasn’t there for me. It’s a complicated system, it’s not easy.

I also want people to recognize that we’re human too. We make mistakes and we don’t always have a straight and amazing path. It doesn’t mean we’re trying to be homeless, it just means we’re kids, and being homeless is a lot more complicated than just getting a house. 

After I graduate from the program, I’d love to go to college to become a social worker. Working at Wildflyer has helped me network with some clinical social workers who are going to help me find an internship in the field, which I’m really excited about.