Allegra is an advocate and change maker, a small business owner, and a mother. For 10 years, she has served on the parent board of the Northside Achievement Zone, boldly advocating for equitable and affordable housing for families in her community. After a recent move, she worked with a caseworker at Northside Achievement Zone to secure a referral to Bridging.

“We were sleeping in our home and stray bullets came through our window. That’s when I said, ‘That’s it. I have to get my family out of here.’ We moved into a new home, and now we have new furniture to complete our home.”

Three years earlier, Allegra had an emergency that required her to access Bridging’s services. When she entered the doors of Bridging a second time, she was overwhelmed with relief:

“They wanted to help me again. I cried like a baby. When you go through so much in this world. When you come across a whole bunch of genuine people who care, it’s a dream come true. They understand that really hard things happen.”

Allegra selected furniture and home furnishings that met the varying needs of her nine-person household.

“A home is not a home without furniture. Trying to find and buy furniture is a lot of stress. A furnished home is helping me in a tremendous way. I don’t have to sit on the floor. I can step into a room and have a place to sit and relax. I have this area to work, and I have this area, my kitchen, to cook food for my family. I have a sofa for me and my family to watch movies and eat popcorn. We’re enjoying family time together.”

Now that Allegra’s family has a safe and comfortable home, she can focus on her professional endeavors again. She works part-time at a special events company and operates her own business focused on reality television. She loves that she has a comfortable office space with two reclining chairs and a table for meetings and working on projects.

Much of Allegra’s spare time is focused on a new series that celebrates the diverse strengths of women.

“The reality show is about women getting together. It’s about women who are building our own table to eat at and building bridges that all can cross, not discriminating because of color or gender identity. We all come together and collaborate. We tell our stories and put our truths out there. I am helping to change the narrative. We’re leaders creating change.”

Allegra is grateful for Bridging. She is proud to be able to provide a safe and comfortable home for her children, and the positive impact of Bridging’s services on her children’s lives brings her the greatest joy:

“We have children, and they want to have friends over. No one wants to invite their friends over if they have nothing. To have a furnished home, it’s good for my kids. To know they can bring their friends over and they feel comfortable and happy, that really matters to me.”