Our Second Stories

The Second Stories podcast is dedicated to telling stories of people who had first stories full of hardship and hopelessness, yet were able to change the narrative and write their own second story. Their stories of resilience and hope, but also tributes to the people and experiences and organizations that made it possible for them to start again.

Jessie was adopted from foster care with her two younger siblings when she was in elementary school after suffering abuse from her biological mother. She came to Second Story for Teens in Crisis to help her thrive in her new adoptive family.

Wuilmer thought he would have to drop out of school to support himself after he became homeless. With Second Story's help he grew his savings, graduated high school, and became the manager at his job.

Bethany had an unstable home life that threatened to jeopardize her future. With our help, she's now on track to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in engineering!

Cam learned resume writing, interview skills, and public speaking at the Teen Center to prepare for one of his major goals: to find a job. After all their hard work, the program manager was thrilled when she got some exciting news from him one day.

Celene's life changed forever when she moved away from home to live with her father who she didn't know very well. After Celene's anxieties became all-consuming she came to stay with Second Story for Teens in Crisis.

Natazja was struggling with her new role as a parent but she wanted to be a good mother for her baby. Learn how Second Story for Young Mothers helped Natazja with motherhood.

After hearing her family use hurtful language about the LGBTQ+ community, home became a hard place for LGBTQ+ youth like Shannon. Struggling with her sexual identity, Shannon came to Second Story to find herself and a way to be comfortable with her family.

With a new remote reality, youth like "Mateo" are navigating what this new normal will look like -- sometimes with personal and family challenges. With rent due, cut hours, and funding gaps, we are not only working harder to ensure that youth needs are met but also their family.

Even with the added hurdles presented by this past year, many of the youth in our programs, like “Ashley,” are still achieving some of their biggest goals!

This year we’ve been coordinating more than ever with teachers and schools to ensure that the needs of the youth like Baxter's are met.

Amidst the challenges and interruptions of COVID-19, many youth like “Calla” are still reaching milestones and achieving self-sufficiency. 

After being kicked out by her mom and fleeing a friend's house because of domestic violence, Kelly and her daughter ended up in a homeless shelter. Homeless shelters can pose additional challenges during a crisis like COVID-19, so Kelly was referred to Second Story for Young Mothers. Now she is safe, supported, and on her way to self-sufficiency.

Asha was making strides in our program when her hours were cut as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s doing her best to keep up with her bills, but the decrease in income has hit her hard. Second Story is increasing our rent support for her and bringing her food and other supplies weekly. We’re committed to helping her and the other youth in our programs get through this.

“Cyrus” has been receiving support from Second Story through our Rapid Re-Housing Initiative, which is a part of Second Story for Homeless Youth, and got laid off in February from his job at a movie theater. Much of his progress was interrupted by the pandemic. We're working to encourage and support Cyrus through the frustration, and are doing what we can to help him move toward self-sufficiency even in this new circumstances.

When Miriam turned 18 she was eager to have some freedom, but things didn't turn out like she had intended - she dropped out of college and became pregnant. To Miriam’s shock, just weeks after she gave birth to her daughter, her parents kicked her out of their home. She spent some time at a homeless shelter before she was introduced to Second Story.