ACTS Transitional Living

Warren Mitchell stood at a bus stop in the cold of January facing a dark reality.

“If I could take you back to that moment when I was standing at the bus stop and I realized--I’m homeless. It was empty.  It was painful,” Mitchell recalls.

Mitchell’s story is familiar given this current economic downturn.  He was a supervisor of a team of four at a car dealership when he was laid off in 2009. Three years later, he had lost his home, his family and was looking for help.

“The motivation was there, I just needed a break and ACTS helped me get that,” Mitchell said.

Action in Community Through Service of Prince William (ACTS) is a non-profit organization serving Prince William County, Virginia; located approximately 35 miles south of Washington, DC. The county encompasses nearly 350 square miles and has more than 400,000 residents making it Virginia’s second-most populous county, according to the Prince William County government.

ACTS began in 1969 when 13 churches banded together to help a family whose home was destroyed by fire, according to the ACTS website.  What began as an effort to feed the hungry has blossomed into an organization providing client supporter services, a helpline, housing services and domestic violence intervention, among other programs.

“Sometimes you just need a step or a boost to regain your independence and to be on your own.  This is a good program for that,” said a mother of three in the ACTS Transitional Living program who preferred not to be named.  “You have to know that you are always just one step away from being homeless,” she said.

 The Transitional Living program is a component of ACTS Housing Services.  It is a program aimed to teach life skills--such as budgeting and resume writing--to help people transition from living in a shelter to living on their own. 

“Our goal is to give them the life skills needed to make it when they go back into society,” said Cherrie Lindsey, case manager for ACTS Transitional Living.

“The general public often thinks that people are homeless just because they are either on drugs or whatever but it is not just that,” said Michelle Boschulte, a mother of three who is progressing through the Transitional Living program.  Boschulte found herself struggling to make ends meet when she was forced to quit working due to medical issues that required an extended hospital stay.

“You have overwhelming times and circumstances.  It’s not that you are just messing up in the world,” said Boschulte.

Playground at ACTS Transitional Living

A full-time job is required for residents participating in the Transitional Living program.  As the parents go to work, services such as day care, tutoring and other daily activities are arranged for the children.  This healthy environment for children coupled with the life skills taught throughout the program offers a substantial opportunity for people who are looking to get back on their feet.

 “Don’t give up because there is help out there,” says Boschulte, who works as a bus driver.  “But you have to want it and you have to work at it.”

As for Mitchell, he has recently been able to find work and now has full custody of his three children.  He has set a goal to own a home within two years through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

“If you are out there and you run into hard times--because life will strike you--ACTS is available to lend you a helping hand in the community,” Mitchell said.