Our Stories Matter: Precious
In 2019, P.H. was staying in emergency shelter here in Denton, where she was introduced to Grace Like Rain and Giving Hope, before the two organizations merged into what is now Giving Grace.
While Giving Hope helped her transition into permanent housing, P.H. started Grace Like Rain’s Rise with Grace (RWG) 7-phase case management program, where participants are supported by their case manager and a volunteer coach as they work on defining their goals and participate in Life Skills classes that help them learn the necessary skills needed to achieve them.
After graduating from RWG in July 2022, P.H. maintained the connections and relationships she had built within the Giving Grace community. She felt called to donate her time and experience by volunteering to help with Life Skills classes that she had gone through herself while in the program. “I did the first volunteer work that I ever did with Faith & Finance… I used to go there and let them know that I took Faith & Finance and how it helped me… Because they gave back to me, I felt like it was important to return the favor.”
Eventually, P.H. started volunteering regularly as part of Giving Grace’s Intake team, where she would respond to Requests for Service and help direct people to resources or refer them to one of Giving Grace’s programs. “I am an individual that has the experience of needing help myself… I know how it feels. And I’m a great listener, so I listen to people with their issues and try to calm them down, let them know that there are resources out there and that it can get better, because it got better with me. I was in a dark place, nowhere to go and then here came Giving Grace.
It [doing Intake] gave me a sense of purpose and understanding that there are resources out there and that there’s connections.”
By October 2023, the volunteer hours P.H. earned while doing Intake gave her the credit and experience she needed to earn her certification as a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist and start working with Denton County MHMR.
“[Being an Intake volunteer] gave me the opportunity to even, like now, get those same resources to people that come in for peer support… it’s beneficial to be able to help people in need without any judgement.”
In addition to her role as a Peer Support Specialist, P.H. has been accepted into NCTC’s Psychology 2-to-4-year transfer Pathways program and is currently pursuing her education with the goal of starting a career in social work.
Her RWG case manager praises P.H. as “one of the bravest clients I have ever served... [She] has gone through so many things, but she is still going strong.”
Written by Katherine Spurger