Finding Home in Each Other: Trina’s Journey

When Trina talks about her children, her voice fills with pride. Her love, resilience, and determination have carried her family through instability. But if you ask her how she manages it all, she smiles softly and says, “We don’t give up. We push through the valleys and always come up with a solution.”

Trina’s story is not defined by experiencing homelessness. It is defined by courage, perseverance, and the unshakeable belief that her children deserve every opportunity to thrive. It is a story worth hearing – not because it is rare, but because it is far more common than many realize. Families across California experience homelessness for complex, interconnected reasons: domestic violence, job loss, illness, sudden tragedies, and a lack of family support. Trina has faced all of these.

And yet, she has never stopped fighting for her children to have a better life.

A Childhood Without a Safety Net

Trina grew up in foster care, moving through a system that often left her without the support and guidance most young people take for granted. As an adult, she built a family of her own – creating the stability and love she never received. Her first husband became her anchor, the person who grounded her, encouraged her, and helped her create a home. When he was deported and later died attempting to return to the U.S., her world shattered.

Still, she kept going.

But grief and a lack of emotional support left her vulnerable. She spent years in an emotionally and spiritually abusive relationship, fighting every day to protect her children physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Leaving that relationship was one of the bravest decisions she ever made – and it meant starting over once again.

Homeless, but Never Hopeless

Throughout the years that followed, Trina and her children moved from shelters to transitional housing to living in their car. Despite the instability, she created a sense of home wherever they were.

“Some of these shelters were beautiful,” she says gratefully. “They took very good care of us. We made it a home because we were together.”

When she finally secured permanent supportive housing earlier this year through Pathways of Hope, she felt the kind of relief she hadn’t known in more than a decade. “For the first time, I can breathe,” she says. “I can work, save, rebuild. I can give my kids stability.”

Her children have grown into compassionate, grounded young people who understand gratitude more deeply than most. “We don’t make excuses,” Trina says. “We focus on solutions. That’s what my kids have learned.”

School on Wheels: A Community That Shows Up

In the middle of her journey, Trina learned about School on Wheels.

A case manager told her about free tutoring, and she immediately enrolled her children. At first, the family’s instability made consistent tutoring a challenge – but the tutors stayed patient, supportive, and flexible. Over time, their sessions became a source of normalcy and encouragement.

“People from the outside who genuinely want to help my kids… that means everything,” Trina says. “My children feel seen. They feel supported. They look forward to tutoring every week.”

School on Wheels tutors didn’t just help her kids with academics – they helped restore confidence. They offered structure. They gave the family a community at a time when they had none.

Trina says, “We love School on Wheels. It’s a blessing for us.”

Why Trina’s Story Matters

Stories like Trina’s are often invisible. Too many families experiencing homelessness are met with judgment rather than compassion. But the truth is simple: they want the same things every family wants. Safety. Stability. Education. Opportunity. A chance to give their children a better future.

Homelessness is not a personal failing. It is a social issue that requires community, resources, and humanity to solve.

Families like Trina’s remind us that resilience thrives when people feel supported – not shamed.

The Power of Showing Up

 School on Wheels tutors, donors, and partners help families like Trina’s regain their footing. They offer time, attention, and belief – all of which are essential to a child’s ability to succeed. They help families feel less alone.

“When people show up for my kids,” Trina says, “it makes me feel like we have a community. Like we’re not on our own.”

This is the heart of School on Wheels’ mission: to provide educational consistency, human connection, and hope during the most difficult times in a child’s life.

Moving Forward With Strength

Today, Trina is working as a certified caregiver, saving money, and building the foundation for long-term stability. Her older children are working and attending school; her younger ones are thriving academically and emotionally with the support of School on Wheels tutors.

She is proud, not of surviving – but of growing. Of healing. Of raising children who are grounded, responsible, and compassionate.

What she wants everyone to know is this:

“We’re a happy-go-lucky family. We’ve been through a lot, but we’re strong. We don’t give up.”

A Call to Community

Trina’s story is not just her own. It is the story of many families we serve -families who work tirelessly to rebuild their lives, who pour love into their children, and who rise again and again despite the odds.

When you support School on Wheels – whether by tutoring, donating, partnering, or spreading awareness – you become part of a community that makes stories like Trina’s possible.

You help children believe in themselves.
You help parents feel less alone.
You help families find stability and hope.

And above all, you help us honor their strength, dignity, and humanity.