An Invitation to Give

Greetings!

Juli and Peggy finish each other’s sentences—playful interruptions, affectionate corrections, and plenty of laughter. But their friendship didn’t begin with laughter.

Both found the Keys to Change Respiro Shelter after losing their homes. Juli had battled alcohol use, health struggles, and the loss of nearly everything. “When you hit rock bottom, you hit rock bottom hard,” she recalls.

Peggy worked part-time but couldn’t keep up with rising rent on her studio, eventually sleeping on the streets. “It’s very scary out there… you have to worry about where you sleep at night.”

On Key Campus, something clicked. “We’ve become the best of friends,” Peggy said. Juli added, “It is very rare, especially at our age. The whole world collapsed around us; God put us together.” Now roommates, they divide chores, “I mop, she does the laundry”, and share jokes about the upstairs neighbors: “I swear they’re bowling!”



With support from Keys to Change Outreach Specialists, Community Bridges, Circle the City, and the staff members at the Brian Garcia Welcome Center, both secured housing and stability. “If it wasn’t for them, who knows where we would be,” Peggy said.

Two years later, they're still living in the same apartment - enjoying quiet nights, watching TV, cooking their favorite meals, and reflecting on how far they've come together.

Stay tuned in the next newsletter to hear Juli and Peggy tell their stories - in their words.