For Faith Kennedy, the search for hope is not an abstract idea. She has experienced it firsthand through her own journey.
At 61, Faith looks back on years marked by homelessness, substance use, domestic violence and the loss of loved ones. Yet when she talks about her life today, she does not focus on what she lost. She talks about what she has gained, the people she can help, and the home she now calls her own.
Faith grew up in Baltimore in a large family. She was one of 11 children, raised by a mother who did everything she could to care for her family after Faith’s father died when she was young.
As a teenager, Faith became a mother. She later entered an abusive relationship that changed the direction of her life. The violence continued, and her partner introduced her to hard drugs.
“I think I did the drugs just to cover up the pain of him beating on me and stuff.”
For years, substance use became part of her life. Faith experienced homelessness and entered treatment programs more than once. She said that while she always had the option of returning to her mother’s home, she was making the choice to stay away while she was using.
Eventually, something changed.
“I didn’t want to get high anymore,” Faith said. “I’m done. I ain’t seen nothing in it.”
Faith entered a program and began her recovery. She describes that decision as one of the turning points in her life.
Her journey eventually brought her to VOA Chesapeake & Carolinas (VOACC), where she lived at Pratt House. For Faith, having a place of her own meant more than having four walls around her. It gave her something she had not had in a long time: stability.
Pratt House provides affordable housing and supportive services to families who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Residents can also connect with case management, healthcare referrals, recovery services, and other resources designed to help them remain housed and move toward long-term self-sufficiency.
Faith remembers Pratt House as a place where she met young women who were working to put their own lives back together. She did not simply keep to herself. She tried to help.
“I met a lot of young girls in there, and I tried to help them.”
One of those relationships would become especially meaningful.
While living at Pratt House, Faith met a young mother who was going through a difficult time. When the mother could no longer care for her young son, Faith stepped in. She did not want the child to enter foster care, so she took him in.
Nearly eight years later, he is still with her.
“Wherever I’m at, it’s his home.”
Faith is also a grandmother to a 19-year-old grandson, whom she helped raise alongside the younger boy. Today, she speaks with pride about having a home where her family can be together.
Her life now looks very different from the years when she was struggling to find somewhere to sleep.
“I make it look okay,” Faith said. “I don’t know. Roof over your head, you’re good to go.”
Faith also found a new purpose in sharing her story.
Through Positive Circles, she speaks with people living with HIV and AIDS about her own experience. After losing her sister and spending years hiding her own HIV status, Faith eventually learned to accept that part of her story. Now, she wants others to know that an HIV diagnosis does not mean their life is over.
She speaks to women’s groups and others living with HIV, sharing what she has learned and reminding people that they can still live productive, meaningful lives.
Faith’s experiences have also shaped the way she sees other people. Having experienced homelessness, addiction, and abuse herself, she refuses to judge people for the circumstances they are facing.
“Who am I to judge?”
For Faith, compassion comes from knowing that life does not always happen according to plan. She knows what it feels like to need someone to believe that things can get better.
VOACC became part of that belief for her.
“VOA helped me,” Faith said. “They gave me hope.”
Today, Faith has a home. She has family around her. She has a church community and people who support her. Most importantly, she has found a way to use what she has lived through to encourage someone else.
Her story is a reminder that a person’s hardest chapter does not have to be the end of the story.
Faith’s story continues at Hope Wins, where she will be part of an afternoon celebrating stories of hope and the people who remind us that better days are possible. The 2026 Hope Wins event will take place Saturday, September 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Christ Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Proceeds will support the mission of Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas.
Join Faith and other members of the VOACC community at Hope Wins. Purchase your tickets today: Hope Wins Tickets
Learn more about Pratt House: Pratt House