Venus's Story

Life was pretty stressful before Wildflyer. I remember being almost fully dependent on someone else and being worried about my living situation on a day to day basis. 

I think the hardest thing about maintaining employment is maintaining your mental health. I think yes, transportation and shelter are big worries. Personally, my experience was that having motivation and staying in high spirits was the biggest challenge when my quality of living was so low. I always had to push myself to remember the light at the end of the tunnel.

Venus at their cohort graduation

Learning to ask for help and stay in communication with others about my situation has helped me a lot. I can now ask for support when I need it, and it’s much easier to solve problems when I have people invested in them before they become disasters. 

Now, I feel as if Wildflyer has opened up so many opportunities for me. I live somewhere where rent is affordable within my means. With the experience from Wildflyer, I was able to land a job opening a coffee bar at a hotel, and I also have a position teaching art to kids in shelters. 

I think that Wildflyer presents an effective alternative to other traditional nonprofits because  it not only gives the participant a stable job and supportive community, but also aids in finding shelter. I think with other nonprofits there’s a lack of interaction with people invested in your case and you’re often expected to be independent with making all the calls, filing the paperwork, visiting all the offices. It can feel like waiting for a call to be taken off hold, but for weeks, for months. With Wildflyer the process is much more personal and streamlined, and you constantly are surrounded by a team of people who genuinely care about your case, and can help problem-solve. 

Written by Program Graduate, Venus.