It was an early summer afternoon, and Abi’s phone rang. She looked at the number and stopped breathing for a second.

It was a call she was waiting for. A call that would change her – and her young son’s – life forever. And a call that wouldn’t have happened without your support.

After a long, difficult road, including many nights living on the street, Abi finally had an apartment of her own, and more importantly, the safe and stable home for her son that she never had as a child. Abi’s young life was difficult from the start, growing up in an abusive environment and later spending two years homeless in Boston before her sister found her and brought her to New Hampshire, hoping it would be the new beginning she needed.

Abi started dating someone she thought was the love of her life. She got pregnant, and her son Noah was born. In what should have been the happiest time of her life, it was not. Her boyfriend became abusive, echoing the familiar experiences of her childhood. While Abi didn’t have a choice back then, she did now. She didn’t want Noah growing up in an abusive household like she did, even if it meant becoming homeless again, with nowhere to go.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend, she found New Generation, a program of Catholic Charities NH that provides emergency shelter and support for single mothers and children. It was her first safe place in a while.

She worked hard, and with the support of New Generation staff, participated in parenting and financial literacy classes, life- skills coaching and other support services that promote personal responsibility and nurturing family development. They also helped her file applications for housing, obtain her driver’s license and eventually a car, and secure employment.

“I had very bad anxiety because of what I had been through,” she recalls, “and they helped me come out of my shell. They showed me the strength I didn’t know I had.”

When the phone rang that summer day, it was a representative from the housing authority who said an apartment had opened up for her and Noah. Her yearlong wait for this moment was over.

“I never thought we would make it this far. You want something so much and work so hard for it, to be able to look at your son and say, ‘Mommy did it.’ Now I knew our lives would be better. Being able to see my son’s face every day, waking up in his room smiling, means everything.”

“I’m so grateful to the donors for giving my son and me, and all the other women and children at New Generation, a second chance for a better future for our kids.”