By Cheyenne Erickson, Chapter Director of Safe Families Austin, TX
Imagine life without having an emergency contact. No one to help when you are sick, or someone to pick up the kids if you have a flat tire. Many parents live in the reality of raising children while isolated and alone.
Our mission at Safe Families is to ensure that no parent is alone and in crisis. We do this by providing a volunteer circle of support to families looking for community. One such mom was Stacey.
“I found out about Safe Families in December around Christmastime, and we’ve had an incredible journey together,” Stacey shared. “Safe Families helps families who are socially isolated, and that is where I was. I didn’t have family. I didn’t have a support system. I didn’t have the community I needed for myself or my kids.”
Stacey grew up as an only child. When her mother passed away, she was left with no extended family to lean on. “My mom was also an only child, so I really didn’t have any extended family to reach out to,” she explained.
She was in an abusive relationship and desperate to create a better life for her two children. “I wanted to get out,” she said. “I knew that he was trapping me in a lifestyle I didn’t want to lead.”
Even after her first child was born, things didn’t improve. “I thought things would get better, and they didn’t,” she said. “I was terrified of being a single mom. When I was giving birth to my second child, no one was around to even drive me home from the hospital.”
After her baby was born, Stacey faced postpartum depression and felt utterly alone. “I started coping with the depression in unhealthy ways.” She hit rock bottom and knew she needed to make changes, or she would lose custody of her children.
That’s when Safe Families entered the picture.
“Safe Families really came into my life when I needed to expunge a warrant from my record,” Stacey shared. “I didn’t know how long that process would take, and I didn’t want my kids to go to Child Protective Services.”
She was equipped with a full Circle of Support. Her Family Coach, Justin, and Host Family, Christine, and Family Friend, Mary, stepped in right when she needed them. “Christine offered to watch my kids overnight, which was all the time it took,” Stacey said. “It was really nice to have my kids go to someone whom I could trust, and the kids had met before. Because my kids have been through a lot of changes. It was so great to have something set up that wasn’t a scary situation for them.”
From that point on, everything began to shift. “Safe Families really has saved my life,” she said.
Mary offered friendship to Stacey and her children, building an extended-family-like relationship. “She has offered to be a non-familial grandma to my kids,” Stacey said through tears.
Together, the Circle of Support from Midtown Church in Austin surrounded Stacey with the practical and emotional support she needed. “Midtown, Justin, and Mary helped clean out my old condo,” she said. “They were at my house every day helping clean, work on plumbing, and fix my washing machine. I’ve never experienced anything like that because I’ve never had family. I’ve always had to figure it out by myself.”
These acts of kindness changed everything for Stacey and her children. When her daughter had a medical emergency, these volunteers were there for her. “Mary was able to pick up my son across town,” Stacey said. “I’ve never had an emergency contact before. I would put down an acquaintance’s number and make up a phone number. But now if an emergency happens, I have someone who can help me.”
Today, Stacey’s family is thriving. She attends Midtown Church, where she was baptized, and her kids were dedicated! For the first time in a long time, she feels like she belongs somewhere. “It’s been amazing,” she said. “So, thank you for supporting Safe Families. It’s made all the difference in my life.”
At Safe Families, we see stories like Stacey’s every day. We are witnesses of parents who love their children deeply, but need a community to stand with them in moments of crisis. A circle of support can mean the difference between family separation and stability, fear and freedom, isolation and belonging.
Because when families have people who care, they have hope. And hope changes everything.
