In 2019, Paula became unhoused in her hometown of Bowling Green. During that time, she stayed with friends but could never get back on her feet due to multiple illnesses and disabilities.
“I didn’t have enough money saved up on my own,” she said. “I was so sick that I couldn’t even get my things packed together. So, I lost almost everything that I owned. And I had nowhere to go.”
Paula began staying at homeless shelters in the Bowling Green area, but she said her mental health began to severely decline as a result.
“Unfortunately, homeless people deal with a lot of really bad mental health issues,” she said, “so they make (poor choices). That’s not something I wanted to be a part of. I was doing everything I could just to figure out what I was going to eat, where I was going to sleep.”
In 2022, Paula’s mother purchased her a vehicle, where she began living. She parked in a lot where drug use was rampant, and she said she had to fight for her life on multiple occasions. At that point, she knew she had to make a change. Despite not having a job for six years, she began searching – and she found Goodwill.
“I went there, and I did the soft skills class,” she said. “Then I got paired with (a career coach). … She was like, ‘How would you like to work for Goodwill?’ I thought my chances were slim, but I was very adamant.”
A week later, Paula was hired as a part-time production clerk at the Scottsville Road store. Since starting at Goodwill, she said her coworkers help her with her medical conditions and can relate to her struggle.
“Working there really opened up my shell a lot,” she said. “My coworkers really started growing on me. I started getting very close to some of them. And now, I’m more open to affection than I’ve been since I was a small child.”
After being unhoused for more than four-and-a-half years, Paula was eventually introduced to Goodwill’s Housing Program and moved into Goodwill-provided housing in November of 2023. Even before she moved in, she began taking advantage of another opportunity: the Work and Learn Program, which allowed her to study for her GED – through a partnership with Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE) – all the while earning a paycheck. Paula was able to earn her GED in less than three-and-a-half months thanks in part to the Work and Learn Program.
“When I got into the house, that was actually the very first thing I dove into,” she said. “Even before I got into the house, I was doing the classes at the Opportunity Center to refresh my skills before I got into the cohort for GED.”
After her six-month stint in Goodwill housing, Paula found an apartment of her own, after months of searching, and moved in this June.
“I was just like, ‘Thank God,’” she said. “It’s not far from work. It doesn’t even take me 10 minutes to get to work. It’s been stressful. It’s been a journey. But I’m glad I’ve stayed with this company because when I got passionate about it, it was before I even knew what they were able to do for me. So now, I’m even more passionate.”
Just two years after starting at Goodwill, Paula has rebuilt her life and now aspires to use her GED to further her education. She said she wants to study psychology, which would also allow her to take advantage of Goodwill’s tuition reimbursement.
“I’ve seen several things happen to other people, but I didn’t think I would get a turn myself,” she said. “Because I had bad luck for so long. So, when the opportunities started opening up for me, it lit a different kind of fire under me.”