“I had a normal life, you know, working, you know, like everybody else,” says Martin. But it all changed in a moment when at a neighborhood function, tragedy struck. “I was barbecuing and then people broke out shooting. I grabbed a child, but got hit like three times in my back. So it took me into a health spin.”
Due to that moment, he and his daughter found themselves in a difficult situation. “I was still in the process of healing and needed money, everything.” That’s when he found The Salvation Army Supportive Housing Program.
“With a child is kind of hard for you to be able to set a new path and be a parent at the same time. So they made it kind of easy cause they was like, you know, Big Sisters and Big Brothers for her. They were supportive. She’s more comfortable, focused, straight-A student.” With his daughter settled in a safe environment and school again, he could then focus on his own journey forward. “I’m about to be a certified computer program in September and we have our own town home now.”
“I’m very thankful to the Salvation Army. I couldn’t have done it without them. They supported me the whole way. They’re saving people. So…they’ve been great to me.”
Misty Ratcliff, Development and Communications Manager, The Salvation Army, Nashville Area Command – http://www.salvationarmynashville.org/
