Meet Naomi

Tenfold’s Beth Shalom program provides mothers exiting prison in Lancaster County a safe place to live while they work to reconnect with their children, rebuild their lives, and access employment and stable housing.  

Naomi, age 23, shares how the Beth Shalom program has helped her and her 3-year-old daughter, Berkley, regain stability after incarceration.  

Naomi was a college student when she became pregnant and had to leave school to focus on supporting her daughter. However, after Berkley was born, Naomi began to struggle with alcohol use. “That landed me in jail,” she shares. After her period of incarceration, she realized she needed support to build a new life for herself and her daughter. She was offered a place in Tenfold’s Beth Shalom program, and she accepted. 

At the start of 2025, Tenfold made the decision to move the Beth Shalom program into Tenfold’s TLC shelter, which provides housing and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Moving forward, women enrolled in the Beth Shalom program will live at the TLC facility and receive TLC’s full spectrum of wrap-around supportive services. 

However, the TLC facility is currently undergoing a major, urgently needed renovation to keep the property safe, accessible, and welcoming for families experiencing homelessness. During this time period, all TLC participants, including Beth Shalom participants, have relocated to an off-site hotel location, where services have continued to be provided.  

At first, Naomi struggled with the transition into the TLC program and the hotel location. She’s currently expecting twins, and having to change locations with her daughter, while managing her pregnancy, has been challenging. But now that she is settled into the new location, she is grateful for the stability the program has provided. “I’m just thankful because I know where I could be, and if I’m on the streets, I could lose my daughter,” she shares.  

Although the program has relocated, Beth Shalom’s core program and mission have not changed. Mothers in the program are still supported to reunite with their children and access stable housing. Each Beth Shalom household is paired with a TLC case manager, who helps them make a household budget, search for employment or job training, access mental and physical health services as needed, and coordinate their reunification with their children. 

Naomi is currently working with her case manager, Calvin, to build skills and plan for the future. One of the main things she’s been practicing is budgeting. “Making a budget, and sticking to it, and saving up money,” she shares. “I’m a go-getter. I like to achieve things. When I have a goal in mind, I do everything I can to achieve that.” Right now, her biggest goal is to save up enough so that she can eventually move into a place of her own.  

“If I wouldn’t have dropped out when I had my daughter, I would’ve had my degree, and probably my own place by now,” she says. “But I can get back there someday. I can get back to having my own place someday. It’s just going to take time, and sometimes time is what people need to start over.” 

Her case manager has also encouraged her to ask for help and seek support from others. “So many times, when you’re struggling, you just don’t want to talk to other people about it,” she shares. “But Calvin, he has stressed the significance of, it’s good to ask for help, it’s good to ask for connections and how to grow.”  

One source of support she’s learned to lean on is her parents. “Thankfully, my parents are very, very supportive. They watch my daughter for me,” she shares. Naomi currently works at a restaurant, and having childcare she can rely on allows her to continue working and building her savings for the future. 

Her church community has also been helpful, especially when it comes to maintaining her sobriety. “People help me and walk with me when I’m going through struggles,” she says. Simply having people invite her to share a meal with them, or offer her kind words of support, has helped her keep going. In August, she celebrated two years of sobriety.  

For anyone facing similar struggles, Naomi’s advice is “Don’t let the past define you. Don’t let what other people say define you. Other people will say you’re a felon, you’re homeless, and all that… that doesn’t mean anything. You’re still here, you’re still alive, you’ve got things to achieve in life.” 

Throughout all the challenges she’s faced, Naomi’s motivation to keep going has always been her daughter, Berkley. “It’s definitely been eye-opening,” says Naomi. “You know, when you think as a mom you’re failing because you don’t have an apartment, and you can’t get your child whatever they say they want… but if I say ‘Oh, I can’t get you this’, she says, ‘It’s okay Mama, maybe next time.’ She’s really helped me stay positive.”  

Today, Naomi is looking forward to the future. “Being at TLC has helped me realize that I can still start over and make a new life for me and my daughter and these two babies,” she shares. “I want to look back on this and say, ‘I did it, I was able to overcome a bad, hard time in my life.’ I want Berkley to look back on this and say, ‘Mama did it.’” 

To donate to Tenfold or Beth Shalom, click here. Your support helps individuals like Naomi achieve lasting stability.