When Fanaisha lost her apartment in February, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. Seven years earlier, she had come to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission after becoming homeless while pregnant and unable to work. What began as a search for shelter became a place where she discovered a deeper connection to her faith.
“I didn’t know I was gonna fall in love with the place, but I did,” Fanaisha shared. “And this is where I’m going to come back to if I ever find myself down the wrong road again.”
Fanaisha’s childhood had been difficult. She grew up in foster care and lost her father to murder at a very young age. She describes those years simply: “It was rough… You didn’t get treated like the other children did. You got treated like a foster child.” Through it all, however, she credits God with bringing her through it.
At one point, she explains how she was living on the streets. “When I had an episode…I woke up and realized, oh my God, I’m homeless. I have nowhere to go ago. Having to sleep in the streets, that really changed my life.
When she returned to CVRM this year, she was looking for more than a roof over her head. Her faith remained central to her life, and the Mission’s Christian environment was one of the reasons she chose to return.
“That’s where I like to be,” Fanaisha said. “I like to be around Christian people. The faith is just where my heart is.”
Church has become one of her favorite parts of life at the Mission. She attends services four times a week and regularly goes to chapel, carrying her Bible with her and looking forward to hearing from the pastors.
“I love going to church here,” she said. “I love the food. I just love the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. If I could move in, I would.”
Fanaisha has also been honest about the challenges she continues to face. She identifies her mental health as her biggest challenge before coming to the Mission, and says worry, fear, and anxiety remain areas she works on every day. The women around her have helped her develop ways to handle those moments when they come.
“The ladies have taught me where to run to when I feel like I’m overwhelmed,” she said. “If I feel I’m ever super worried or super stressed or full of fear, I remember the scriptures or the Bible.”
Her daughter has found her own place within the Mission’s community. Through the Family House, she has been able to spend time with other children, building friendships and simply enjoying being a kid.
“She doesn’t know the difference or, I should say, the situation we’re in,” Fanaisha said. “She doesn’t. It’s just like, ‘Oh, hey, we’re here to have fun.’ That’s how she sees it.”
Meanwhile, Fanaisha is working toward a home of her own. The Mission has helped her pursue housing, and she is currently on various lists with the hope that she will soon have an apartment. She also hopes to find a church home after leaving CVRM and continue the friendships she and her daughter have built.
For now, she is focused on following the next step wherever it leads.
“Wherever the Lord leads me and guides me,” she said. “That’s what I’ll do. Wherever the Lord takes me.”
Fanaisha hopes others will support the Mission so that people facing difficult circumstances can find the same combination of practical and spiritual support that has meant so much to her.
“You get to learn about Jesus Christ while getting a meal, while having a room, while having mental support, while having emotional support,” she said. “They really build you up and lift you up here, and they don’t tear you down even regardless of what you’re going through. They always try to lift you up.”
For Fanaisha, knowing where to go and returning to her faith has made all the difference.
“I am thankful. I’m thankful for everything, and when I find myself in another situation, I’ll be right back here again.”