REAL STORIES OF OUR COFFEE APPRENTICES
Apprentices at Equip are women leaving traumatic circumstances such as homelessness, felonies, or abuse. They are learning essential skills, breaking cycles, and given tools to lead wildly successful lives.
A social enterprise within nonprofit Victory Mission.
JENNIFER’S STORY
Jennifer was living in complete isolation. Aside from church and the occasional run to the grocery store, Jennifer didn’t leave her home. She began to struggle with mental illness and a fear of people that kept her alone. The depression and anxiety got to the point where Jennifer couldn’t leave her bed. She lost her job working from home, and after that she had almost zero human interaction. Jennifer knew there had to be something better for her…
NOAH’S STORY
Noah’s life was in shambles. He had been homeless. He was a heroine addict. He lost his kids, repeating cycles of his own birth mother. Noah came to Victory Mission after being incarcerated. He was convinced he had settled into his identity. Noah shared, “I didn’t feel like change was possible for me.” His intent was to stay at Victory long enough to get the physical things he needed—food, a place to sleep, his birth certificate and other documents. Then he’d get a job and a little bit of money and take off. He assumed he’d return to addiction and be in and out of prison for the rest of his life…
JOHN ERIC’S STORY
John Eric came to us when he felt like he had no other options left. Trauma and abuse throughout his childhood gripped his life. He sought answers for healing in temporary solutions and found himself in a losing battle with substance abuse. He had been homeless, finding shelter in places that weren’t livable. He had no job and no vehicle. He had no money. He was down to his last outfit. His relationships were broken. He didn’t have rights to see his kids. Feeling hopeless about his situation, John Eric struggled with suicidal thoughts. He found himself in the hospital, and was referred to Victory Mission, where he began to rebuild his life…
GREG’S STORY
After spending most of his 20s and 30s in prison, Greg knew he needed something different. He moved from California, where he had earned his charges, to Missouri. In Missouri, he went to college and started a family. Greg realized that although he had changed his environment, not much about his heart had changed. He was living the same lifestyle. When hard times struck, Greg found himself at Victory Mission, where he became involved in the Restoration Program…
