More Than a Shelter: How Vanessa Adamu Helps Families Begin Again
Every day, Vanessa Adamu, Mental Health Case Manager at Bell Family Shelter, encourages and empowers families to believe in themselves, overcome barriers, and reach their goals. “When people believe that they can do it, and they see it working, it transforms their life.”
“I have nothing. Please help me.”
These are words Bell Family Shelter Mental Health Case Manager Vanessa Adamu has heard more than once. For many families arriving at the shelter, their first conversation isn’t just about paperwork or finding housing; it’s about taking the first step toward hope and learning to trust someone they’ve just met.
“You have 30 days to sit with a stranger and tell them your whole life,”
Vanessa says. “If it takes us three weeks to build that trust, it’s hard to get everything done. I reassure families that we are here to help them.”
From that very first conversation, Vanessa wants families to know they don’t have to face their journey alone.
“When families come in, I describe it as a partnership,” she says. “They bring something to the table, and I bring something to the table, and together we’ll make progress.”
Every family who enters the shelter has a different story. Some are working but can’t keep up with today’s rising housing costs, or have lost their jobs or faced an unexpected expense. Others have lived in the same home for decades before suddenly being priced out.
Many arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing.
One client had lived in her apartment for 20 years before her landlord renovated the property and raised the rent beyond what she could afford on a fixed income.
“She told me, ‘I thought I was always going to live there,'” Vanessa recalls. “She had searched everywhere for housing but couldn’t find anything she could afford.”
Working together, they found an income-based apartment where she could begin again.
Finding an apartment is only one piece of the puzzle.
Families often need first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and a security deposit—expenses that can total several thousand dollars before they’ve even moved in. Saving that much money in just 30 days while trying to rebuild a life can feel impossible.
“When I first started working here in 2021, we didn’t have the grants we have now,” Vanessa explains. “It was much harder to get families housed.”
Today, grant funding has transformed what’s possible.
Bell Family Shelter can now assist qualifying families with move-in costs, application fees, transportation, vehicle repairs, bus passes, and other critical needs that remove barriers to stable housing.
“These grants have been a blessing,” Vanessa says. “They’ve helped us get more families housed and given families peace of mind. They don’t have to worry about where every extra dollar is coming from while they’re trying to rebuild.”
She says the assistance gives families something many haven’t felt in a long time.
“These grants allow families to breathe as they work toward finding a job, saving money, securing housing, and putting the pieces of their lives back together.”
Recently, a client needed new tires to get to and from work safely. Through grant funding, the cost was covered, allowing her to keep working and continue saving toward her goals.
“That immediate help was crucial,” Vanessa says.
Sometimes, the emotional impact is just as powerful.
“When you tell some of the clients there’s a grant available to help them, they cry,” Vanessa says. “They sit in my office and cry.”
One client came into Vanessa’s office feeling overwhelmed.
“I have nothing,” the client told her, and together, they created a plan.
The client found employment within the first week. Vanessa helped locate affordable housing, accompanied the family to view an apartment, and within three weeks, they had moved into a place they could call home.
“It can happen,” Vanessa says. “If people are willing to make changes, we’ll do everything we can to help them.”
No two clients need the same kind of support.
Some need help completing applications because they struggle with reading or writing. Others need mock interviews, budgeting guidance, or encouragement to believe in themselves again.
Vanessa even uses personality assessments to help clients prepare for job interviews.
“I had one client who couldn’t tell me anything about herself,” she remembers. “After we talked through her strengths and characteristics, she went into an interview the next day and got the job.”
“I model our meetings after their needs,” Vanessa says. “You have to meet people where they are. Some people need you to hold their hand, others need guidance and then run with it. I have to figure out how I can best serve each family.”
That support doesn’t always end when a family leaves the shelter. Vanessa checks in with former clients, helps them complete paperwork, and connects them with additional resources when needed.
As Vanessa looks back, she remembers Michelle, a woman who came to Bell Family Shelter with no income and who struggled with confidence.
The first time Vanessa worked with her, they were able to reconnect her with family members who provided temporary housing.
When Michelle returned later, Vanessa was determined to help her build long-term independence.
Together, they focused on employment, housing, and confidence-building. Michelle found a job, moved into a room she could afford with the help of grant funding, and slowly began rebuilding her life.
One day, Vanessa happened to see Michelle driving. She reached out to her.
Michelle called back with exciting news. She had purchased a car, found a better-paying job, and moved into a new home.
“I just said, ‘Wow,'” Vanessa remembers. “She was so timid when she was here. To see how confident she’d become…her whole life had changed.”
“It’s these success stories that keep me going on the harder days.”
Every day, families arrive at Bell Family Shelter.
Through compassionate case management, generous community support, and critical grant funding, they receive more than emergency shelter.
They find partnership, encouragement, practical resources, and the opportunity to begin again.
For Vanessa, every family’s journey is unique, but her approach never changes meet people where they are, believe in their potential, and walk beside them every step of the way.
“When people believe that they can do it, and they see it working, it transforms their life.”