North Texas woman celebrates small victories after moving out of Dallas shelter
On any given night, almost 4,000 people experience homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties.
It can be a long journey to stability, and that's why one Dallas shelter celebrates when someone finds permanent housing.
Most people dread moving day, but not Misty Reeves.
"It's going to have a washer and dryer. It's the little things!" she said. Little things and celebrating those small victories.
"Good morning, Austin Street," a staff member called out over the intercom. "Come join us in ringing that bell!"
Reeves rang the large bell in the homeless shelter to signal she was moving to permanent housing.
In this case, a small apartment is a big deal.
"When I rang it, it really sank in that I was really going to leave," she said.
Misty has her own place after living at Austin Street for a year.
The Austin Street Center homeless shelter brought her back to what matters.
"Drugs have been my whole life," Reeves said. "You keep chasing that high, and then before you know it, I look up and I have four kids and I'm still high. Then I look up, and there's 10 more years that I've missed of my kids growing up, and I'm like, 'What am I doing with my life?'"
After decades of drug abuse, she checked into a Dallas rehab center.
Then, she joined Austin Street's Sisterhood Program, which is just for women who've experienced abuse.
"You're just really numb inside and you don't even know what time of day it is or what year it is or what you're doing day to day. And it's so scary not to know how to come out of that," she said.
More than a year later, Reeves proudly rang her bell.
"When the bell goes off, it sends a signal," said Daniel Roby, the CEO of Austin Street.
He says the sound of the bell is the sound of hope.
"This felt overwhelming, this felt challenging, it felt like maybe I would never end up out of homelessness but every day I have a reminder of somebody that's making that jump," said Roby.
And hope is exactly what Reeves carries with her on moving day – hope to reconnect with her kids and for a future free from addiction.
"I'm glad I broke the cycle of addiction," she said "I just know that I broke it for them and that they're going to be good in life."
Austin Street Center is hosting its Humble Beginnings luncheon on Friday, Oct.11, to raise money to keep its doors open and keep that bell ringing. To buy tickets or find out more about Austin Street Center, visit their website here.
