Shannon’s Turning Point

Shannon Anderson is a courageous mother of five. She and her family moved to Columbia when she got a better job. They planned to stay temporarily in a weekly rate hotel but found themselves unable to cover the cost, much less saving to move into permanent housing.

Desperate for a life change, she emailed Love Columbia about our Extra Mile coaching program and was soon connected with Extra Mile Program Manager Kelli Van Doren. Shannon says, "When I moved here, I had no community or support system. I had nobody, but Kelli quickly become my somebody, and our financial coaches became like family to us. They took an interest in our kids and walked with us through the loss of an extended family member."

"Looking back at 2020 when we first moved here, there wasn't an open door until we met everyone at Love Columbia. When they talked to us, it wasn't just our barriers that they saw. They saw us as individuals. They made us thinking differently about life and helped us make the lifestyle changes we needed to make."

Two years later, Shannon is now working on staff at Love Columbia as a Housing Specialist! She coaches individuals experiencing housing instability and is able to extend hope through sharing her story. She says, "It's something to be able to go from hopeless to having hope to giving hope. I see myself in the people who walk through the doors here, and I know I'm doing exactly what I'm meant to do."