Irene Basdakis

When people think about Grandma's House of Hope, they often picture the men and women whose lives are transformed through safe housing, compassionate care, and a second chance. What they may not think about are the people quietly working behind the scenes to make those transformations possible. Ashley Baker is one of them.

For 36 years, Linda lived without a place to call home. She knew what it was like to sleep outside, to wonder where her next meal would come from, and to believe that life would never change. Homelessness had become such a constant in her life that she began to believe it was the only future she would ever have. "I thought I would be on the street for the rest of my life," she says.

When Jackie first arrived at Grandma's House of Hope, she was carrying more than the weight of homelessness. "I came from a really bad situation," Jackie recalls. "If I hadn't come to Grandma's House of Hope, I never would have been able to work through everything I was facing." For the first time in a long time, she found something many people take for granted—a peaceful home.