Faith’s Story

Bridge Meadows saved my family

When Faith arrived at Bridge Meadows North Portland at just eight years old, her family was facing uncertainty. Alongside her mother and two brothers, she found a new beginning in a community built on care, connection, and hope.

“Bridge Meadows saved our family,” Faith recalls. “I don’t know where we would be without them. They supported my mom so much, starting with housing, and that gave me so many opportunities to get to know the elders.”

Faith’s early years at Bridge Meadows were filled with small but powerful moments of support. Elders in the community cooked meals, shopped for groceries, and helped her mother through difficult times, especially when illness and isolation made life harder. “When I was little, I didn’t see it,” Faith admits. “But looking back, I had so many people watching out for me.”

During her freshman year of high school, Faith struggled with the lingering effects of childhood trauma. One of the social workers at Bridge Meadows stepped in to offer guidance and care – a moment Faith describes as life-changing. “She saved my life,” she says. “Knowing that there were people out there for me is how I knew I wanted to be a social worker.”

Now 18, Faith is in her first year at Northern Arizona University on a full academic scholarship, pursuing a degree in Social Work. She’s living in the dorms, while juggling a 15-credit course load with a part-time job at a supermarket. She also volunteers with a nonprofit supporting those seeking safety from domestic violence as part of her service hours. “Dorm life reminds me a little of Bridge Meadows,” she shares. “People care about each other here, and I feel like Bridge Meadows helped me grow into who I am today…more confident, more outgoing, and ready to connect.”

Faith dreams of becoming a licensed clinical social worker so she can support children and families, especially those in the foster care system. “It’s crazy to think that only one to three percent of kids from foster care go to college,” she says. “I never thought I would be one of them.”

Though she’s now hard at work with her studies and her family has moved on from living at Bridge Meadows, Faith still stays in touch with the people who shaped her upbringing – namely, her many neighbor “Grandmas,” community staff, and childhood friends who remain in North Portland. “Bridge Meadows became [my] family,” she says. “They helped me believe in myself, and now I want to help others believe in themselves too.”