A Childhood Defined by Instability

Omari’s childhood had been marred by abuse and instability. All her life she had experienced verbal, emotional and physical abuse by her parents and grandmother. The family had moved regularly both in the U.S. and abroad because her father was in the service. This constant moving contributed to isolating her from people outside her immediate family.

As she grew up, she proved to be an excellent student. She set her sights on finishing high school and earning a scholarship to help pay for college.

A Degree Earned, but Nowhere to Turn

When she graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science and technology, Omari had accomplished her educational goals. But her launch to full independence was marred by her past and lack of adult support and role models.

Like many recent graduates, Omari needed to find a job and pay off her loans. Unlike the majority of her university classmates, Omari had to return to an unsafe living environment after leaving campus housing. Her family resumed harming her by preventing her from accessing food, locking her out of the home and constantly berating her.

Omari knew that she had to leave and make a home of her very own. But before reaching that goal, she ended up on the streets and in a shelter for homeless youth. 

Finding a Safe Haven with FutureBound

In 2019, Omari transferred from the shelter to NCCF’s FutureBound Transitional Housing Program (FTHP).

A very young woman, whose soft-spoken demeanor belied her inner strength and grit, her resilience shone through as she smiled in the face of setbacks. She worked closely with her FTHP case management team and set two key goals for her time in the program. First, pay off her remaining student loan debt. Second, buy a home as soon as possible.

Omari’s first step was to use her degree to obtain long-term employment. In a few short months she’d found, interviewed for and accepted a job at the Maryland National Memorial (cemetery) as an assistant field administrator.

Because FutureBound is designed to meet all of a young person’s immediate needs, employment becomes the vehicle driving success rather than a means of survival. Omari turned her income into a quickly compounding savings account. After only four months of working, she achieved her first goal—to pay off her student loans. From there Omari was able to purchase a used car financed through her credit union. Within 18 months of coming to FTHP, Omari was approved for a home loan of $150,000.

From Goal-Setting to Keys in Hand

With that approval in hand, she closed on her dream house in Cambridge, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her small single-family home (two bedrooms, one bath) is her pride and joy. She painted every room herself and used NCCF’s donation center to design and furnish her home the way she likes it.

When Omari transitioned from FTHP, she did not rest on her achievements.  She began her next big project. At just 29-years of age, she is now planning to start a small business.