STORY OF CHANGE: Lisa’s Path to Stability and Hope

For more than a decade, Lisa Gibson’s life was shaped by instability, violence, and the constant search for safety. Her story, marked by homelessness, domestic violence, and the loss of her children, reflects challenges that far too many Texans face. But it also reflects what becomes possible when community organizations work together, and when someone finally receives the support they deserve.

This is Lisa Gibson’s Story of Change.

Gibson’s struggle began in 2013. At just 23-years-old, she was navigating depression and a violent relationship while caring for her three young children. Her partner’s abuse was constant. He would lash out unpredictably and often kicked her out with nowhere to go. The situation eventually escalated, resulting in the loss of her three children to Child Protective Services.  

She left the abusive relationship, but was too scared to reach out for help. With nowhere safe to go, she moved between motels, friend’s homes, and an RV- never able to find stability because of her rental history.

“We never had our own apartment, ever,” Gibson said of the time she, her new partner, and their two children spent navigating homelessness. “I was in a hotel calling shelters, not knowing what to do.”

Finding Support at Southside Community Center

Everything changed when Gibson connected with the South Side Community Center (SSCC), a Texas Homeless Network partner agency participating in the Homeless Management Information System and Coordinated Entry. 

The center helped Gibson secure temporary housing in a duplex while she waits for Section 8. For the first time, she and her children have their own rooms, their own beds, and a place that truly feels like home.

Southside also connected Gibson to legal support and guided her through the community service hours needed to resolve an old warrant. They provide meals, clothing, hygiene packs, and access to laundry, and they’re currently helping her navigate her CPS case and access mental health services.

“This support helps me know that I have stability,” Gibson said. “I want to be able to provide for myself and my children, and Southside helps me believe I can get there.”

Her partner’s transformation has been just as profound. With Southside’s encouragement, he attended AA meetings, got sober and now holds a stable job. 

Rebuilding Her Future

Gibson is now focused on raising her 7-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son while working to reunify with her other three children. And for the first time, she’s building toward the future she once thought was out of reach.

She is halfway done with her GED. She will be the first in her family to earn a high school diploma. Her goal: become a nurse, buy a home, and build long-term stability for her children.

“Southside led me into wanting all of this,” Gibson said. “They just made me feel like there’s more to life and more to me than what I think. Right now, I’m just working on getting my GED and furthering my education, so I can get into a job I know that I love and a career for my children.”

A Story of Change Made Possible by Community 

Gibson’s path to stability wasn’t linear, and it wasn’t easy. But with the right support, her story moved from crisis to possibility.

Southside Community Center, a THN partner, provided the foundation she needed:

• Safe housing
• Food, hygiene packs, and clothing
• Mental health connections
• Legal support
• Assistance with disability and Social Security applications for her children
• Encouragement that helped her see her own potential
  

Gibson’s story is exactly why coordinated, community-driven systems matter. It’s why THN collaborates with partner agencies like Southside Community Center. And it’s why your support ensures more Texans can experience their own story of change.