Yousra did not want to share her photograph.

When Yousra came to JPNDC last summer, she was on a quest that is painfully familiar to so many in Boston: finding a decent apartment that a working mom and daughter could afford.  

Her story shows how JPNDC welcomes the whole person – and works together with them to explore all their options, avoid the next crisis, achieve financial stability, and fulfill her potential.  

Yousra's bravery is clear from her emigration in 2020 from Sudan, a country racked by civil war. Like many immigrants, leaving everything behind was a last resort. Hoping she could continue her medical career in the United States, she left so her child could grow up in relative safety and learn empowerment from her mother's example.   

At JPNDC five years later, Yousra shared her story. Though she has MD credentials from Sudan, she has had no time to complete the necessary training  required for her to be licensed in the U.S. She was living with friends, a situation that was getting more difficult now that her daughter was school age. More urgently, she now risked losing her restaurant job because school was out for the summer. She worried that the next time she called in absent because no one could provide childcare, she would be fired.  

"Halley was so kind, she treated me like a real and whole person," she said about her first encounter with JPNDC (meeting with Halley Jeremie, now the Associate Director of RAMWP). "She took the time even when I did not have an appointment. She listened to my struggles."   

Yousra hadn't known that JPNDC ran a Family Childcare program. Halley immediately helped her enroll her daughter in summer care with a professional home-based educator.  

Neither had she known that JPNDC could help on the job front. Over the next few months, Halley helped steer Yousra to a more rewarding employment path. She's now enrolled in a medical interpreter training program: an opportunity to use her education, earn a living wage, and help fellow Arabic speakers navigate the health care system.  

Meanwhile, Yousra continues to fill out housing applications. Her husband continues to wait in Sudan for a visa. JPNDC is there for their family at any time.   

JPNDC will also stay focused on the housing crisis – through advocacy, production of new homes, preservation of existing affordable units, and more advocacy – until no one has to wait years for a decent, affordable home.   

Though her journey remains challenging, Yousra stays hopeful. Her story highlights the resilience of individuals facing adversity in our region, and the impact of having JPNDC as a partner.