Stella did not know that she was homeless. The way she saw it, she was free. After all, she'd left behind an emotionally abusive family and set off on her own. She was a young adult, with a job and a car that she could sleep in until she got enough money. If you'd asked her then if she thought a place like Stepping Stones could help her, she would have said, "Why? I have a job. I'm getting a place soon. I can do this on my own."

That was before a car accident change everything. Not only did she lose her place to sleep, but walking became her new way of life. She'd walk to work, to the bank, to the grocery store. She did so much walking between long shifts where she worked on her feet all day, and at the end of it all she had no where to rest her head. She felt comfortable no where.  On her days off, she'd walk up to 20 miles just to give herself something to do. It went on like this for months until she finally decided to add one more destination to her walk: Stepping Stones. 

When Stella found Stepping Stones she realized that she was not really alone--that she was one of approximately 400 homeless people under 25 in Nashua.  At Stepping Stones she satisfied her basic needs--meals, clothing, showers, laundry, and a place to get her mail.  More importantly, she met with caring adults who helped her figure out how to escape her situation. She got into a local shelter and applied for long-term housing. She got a new job and steadier hours closer to where she was staying. 

Since 2020, Stepping Stones has helped nearly 80 youth like Stella make progress by moving into apartments, applying for jobs, obtaining I.D.s, enrolling in educational programs, and connecting with mental and physical health agencies.  At Stepping Stones, Stella finally felt comfortable somewhere--almost every day after work she drops in for food and a shower. Her life has improved so much just by having people here to talk to her about her day. She's made friends and participated in enrichment activities that she never would have had access to before.

But as summer winds down, Stella is tired of waiting for her housing application to come through. She is rightfully anxious about the cold months ahead. Until she is housed, she will walk more than 20,000 steps per day. She still needs our help.