HOUSTON – Moving from place to place was all Tracey Staff ever knew.
"It would get to the point where I would be somewhere for maybe a year or two and all of a sudden I would feel like I had to go. It wasn't comfortable, I wasn't happy at work and I would have to move,” Staff said.
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As a third generation military veteran, Staff spent her life moving from one strange city to the next -- including overseas as a young girl just out of high school.
It wasn't until she moved to Houston with her son that she felt she wanted to put roots down. But life after her service in the Air Force became difficult.
Staff worked as many as three jobs at a time, waking early for her shift at McDonald's, then rushing to her second retail job where she would work until the store closed.
She found herself without a permanent place to live, floating from friends’ couches to various motels. Things didn't begin to turn around for her until she found a job at The Women’s Home in Houston.
"The Women's Home is a beautiful organization that helps women get back on their feet, and they're doing it. Every day,” Staff said.
The Women’s Home is an organization that provides housing and treatment to women who are struggling with homelessness, addiction and mental illness.
They work to restore their clients’ stability and dignity by connecting them with medical care, counseling, job training and other programs to help rebuild strong lives.
It was a natural fit for Staff.
"(The women) come in and every day they get a little bit lighter, then you see them smile, and then you hear them laughing -- and by the end of it they're on their feet and they're strong and they're working."
Staff spends much of her time keeping things running behind the scenes as the organization’s office manager; she conducts meetings, files critical paperwork and serves as a motivator to keep her entire team happy and productive.
To learn more about The Women’s Home. Click link to visit their website.
For more information on volunteer opportunities at The Women’s Home, click here.