WILKES-BARRE - Nancy Kempa slept in a cardboard box under the Market Street Bridge for six months and ate her meals at St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen before she finally sought help from Ruth's Place, a shelter for homeless women.
Ms. Kempa, 48, a mother of two grown children and a grandmother of five, said flooding destroyed her home in Plymouth Twp. in 2008 and another home she lived in was condemned for unsanitary conditions.
At Ruth's Place in Wilkes-Barre, she found a temporary place to stay, a hot shower, food and help in finding housing. The rest of her family stayed with other family members, and she will soon have a new place to live, she said.
Ms. Kempa is among more than 1,500 homeless women Ruth's Place has served over the past 10 years.
Ruth's Place Director Kristen Topolski and board President Bill Bolan joined some of the homeless women at a news conference Friday at the shelter on North Pennsylvania Avenue to talk about its many gains and successes in honor of the 10th anniversary.
Carletta Walker turned to Ruth's Place after she lost her house and her job in the same week last year. She said she lost her job after she called off to find someplace else to live when her home was condemned. Ruth's Place helped her find an apartment in Kingston, and she now has a housekeeping job.
"I was ready to say, 'I'm done and I can't go on anymore' because it was one thing after another," said the 49-year-old woman.
"When I came here, it made me feel like I wasn't alone."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com