Breanna

Early in the pandemic, Breanna became sick with COVID. Unable to work - therefor unable to pay the rent - she was evicted, which unfortunately led to losing custody of her children.

At night, she would either sleep in her car, or, on particularly cold Ohio nights, she would splurge on a night at a hotel. This was the moment that brought Breanna to ACCESS.

Breanna was very goal-driven while at the shelter. She began working at an urgent care clinic within her first week, and meeting with her children weekly while they were in foster care. She attended classes offered at the shelter, such as financial literacy and self-esteem development.

This tenacity not only led to her being approved to rent a house that she loved and being awarded custody of her children, but it also led her to being named the 2022 Lynn M. Budnick Empowered Woman Award Winner.

On the day Breanna received her award, she picked up a DoorDash delivery, and erroneously knocked on the door of the Summit County Continuum of Care (CoC), who’d attended the event and heard Breanna’s remarkable story. This chance encounter provided an opportunity to blossom further.

Breanna began working with the CoC Youth Advisory Board, using her life experience to assist other youth experiencing homelessness in Summit County.

In 2023, a year after she left ACCESS for a permanent home, Breanna took part in a youth advocacy day in Washington, D.C, where she spoke with Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who is the current longest serving U.S. Senator, and the senator of Breanna’s home state.