“Prayer is always the key. God will help you get through a lot.”
When Shameka I. went from staying in a motel with her mom to staying on the streets, she prayed.
“That’s from my family … I know God will be here. I know God will change everything in my life.”
And after many months spent between staying with family and sleeping by a public transit stop, Shameka has an apartment in her own name again. She’s still praying — but now, it is in thanks for a blessing she’s waited on for a long time.
Rachel Ternes
“[God] got me where I need to be, to start a new chapter. He wants to see me be a better person. Not to struggle, not to be homeless, anything like that ever again. Ever again.”
Shameka is no stranger to renting. Because Shameka is disabled, her employment options are limited, and her SSI check isn’t enough for the vast majority of living options in Nashville. The income-based options that do exist come with restrictions.
At the last apartment she had in her own name, a miscommunication about whether she could have a pet in her room led to a rapid eviction. In violation of her lease, she had a dog in her room – and without the paperwork to claim her dog as a service animal, she was kicked out before she had a chance to react.
“I wasn’t supposed to have a dog … [my landlord] never asked me if I was disabled. Disabled people can have dogs,” she said. “I should’ve been able to have the dog, but they put me out because of that. I learned from my mistakes.”
That was over two years ago now. In her new home, she looks forward to having a pet again – but that’s for later down the line, she said. At the moment, Shameka is still furnishing her new digs. She’s especially eager to put some new cookware to work, now that she’s got a kitchen to employ again.
“I love to cook. I call myself a chef,” she said. “Now that I’ve got the chance, being in an apartment, I’m hoping one day I can start selling food to people. I always wanted to open a business like that,” she said. “What I want to start out with is cooking spaghetti and fish plates … my customers, I’d want them to attend that as well. They might see a difference in me. They might see me in my best life.”
Those customers were another welcome blessing, she said, when circumstances were bleak. Shameka explained that between the staff and the regular visitors at her vending spot, The Contributor brought her into what felt like a huge family.
“I just started trying to sell papers, I started liking it, seeing how many people would change my life. They’d smile at me, it’d keep me happy, and it got me somewhere I need to be.”
She was grateful to have a community to lean on when she needed it – and with the high degree of homelessness in the city, it’s an opportunity more people deserve, she said.
“I really think it’s a good thing to do for the community. God is with me, The Contributor is with me. The days I struggled, it got better. The Contributor puts a lot of big smiles on people’s faces.”
After Shameka settles in, she hopes to get back to her spot and spread the good news.
“I plan on getting back to it. I plan on letting my customers know that I got a place. That’s what The Contributor is about … we’re all Contributor family.”