“I see needs and have to do something about them. I’ve had my grandson since he was nine months old. My daughter was struggling. I thought she would get her son back once she got herself together. She didn’t. She passed away in October; he turned four in November. I still can’t believe that my daughter is deceased and isn’t coming back for her baby. I’m raising him forever. Whoooo. 

I had my first baby when I was 17. Now I’m 50. Talk about a reset. When my kids grew up, I lived life fast on my own, doing everything I wanted to do, just thinking of me and traveling. I even ran away from my kids: Cincinnati to Mobile was about as far as I could get. I got to Mobile in April 2020. Maybe God wanted me to have my grandson so I would think of others again; I got him in August 2021.

My mother struggled, and my grandmother took me on, too. My family is from the South. Dad’s mom was from Mobile; mom’s mom was from Tupelo. They went to Ohio looking for work during the Great Migration. They left Mississippi and Alabama with nothing but hope. Both got jobs at high school cafeterias and raised their children in Cincinnati. My parents were high school sweethearts; they married right out of high school and divorced by 25. My dad cared for me quite a bit. He was an electrician, but he could do everything: carpentry and work on cars. I was around him a lot, and he taught me what he was doing.

I was a troubled teen and was a year behind in the 10th grade when I had my first baby–a boy. I wanted to give up, but what would happen to him? I kept figuring it out and finished school. I was handy and liked cars, so I went to mechanic school–the only woman there. One guy hired me as a joke, thinking I wouldn’t last. Sears was a lot better. I loved working on cars with my hands and getting paid every week. I did that for a few years and went back to college. 

It took me eight years to get my associate’s degree because I would go to school, quit, go to school, quit. Back and forth.  I had three children by the time I got my associate’s degree in 2004. I got my master’s degree in 2011 and have been teaching English ever since. Once I got my focus together, I could do it. 

I wanted to move to a southern city with shorter, warmer winters. I get depressed in the cold with gray skies. I thought about my grandmother, who was born in Mobile, so I came for a visit. The weather was beautiful, and the people were so friendly. I sat on the Fairhope pier and felt this is where I should come. I found my happy. 

I moved when Mobile was on lockdown during COVID. I taught English online until I could start teaching at Bishop State Community College. I was an Uber driver and saw the needs of the riders when I picked them up. The motel calls in the middle of the month were the hardest. Some would have me drop them off at the side of the road or a park, leaving them and all of their things. Some were elderly or veterans with small checks but no place to go. I had to do something and started looking into campers and mobile sheds for transitional housing.

My friend, Raphael, helped me find an acre of property in Baldwin County that could fit five sheds. I was handy but didn’t know about drywall or how to use a circular saw. Raphael taught me all of that. Now, I have my own tools and can do a lot by myself with confidence.

I’m learning how to do this as I go. I started a non-profit last January named Raphael’s Legacy for Restoration.  We will have our third tiny house in 2025. The homes are theirs. While they’re with us for two or three years, we’ll create a home of independence to take with them;  they will own a home and never say they don’t have one again. People also have other stuff going on when they don’t have a home. I’m learning about wraparound services and working with other groups.

I used to wonder if I was supposed to be doing this. Is it the right thing to do? Now, it warms my heart. Helping people into homes is good for me. I get beautiful sleep at night. No tight shoulders. No looking for antidepressants or muscle relaxers. I also quit drinking. This peaceful feeling is so much better than what I used to feel. Now, I want to enjoy this life and remember it.”

Allena 

#raphaelslegacyforrestoration #Bishopstatecommunitycollege

“We would love more donors and volunteers to help with the houses. That means we can help more people. I would love to be in multiple locations wherever there’s a need.Here’s the website with how to help and give:https://raphaelslegacyforrestoration.org/

(Photos courtes of Allena)