Michelle McEwen's Story
Michelle is the single parent of a little boy named Ben and is currently working full- time at St. Cloud Technical College. Even though Michelle is doing well for herself and creating a happy and healthy home for her son, she came from very rough beginnings. Due to generational abuse in the family, she was forced to leave her home at the age of eighteen without a place to live and without any opportunities to help her. Struggling to survive, she found an escape through substance abuse.
When she learned that she was pregnant with Ben, Michelle moved to the St. Cloud area and found help at New Beginnings. There she was supplied with positive role models and motivation to fight her addictions and begin her education. Over the past five years, Michelle has worked her way from homelessness to earning a college degree, from substance abuse to having long term financial goals and having steady employment. All of this was achieved through her strong independent spirit and love for her son. They had housing through HRA, a transition housing program.
Michelle worked hard on her new home in Donovan Lakes, which was the location of the 2009 Women Build. Her and Ben happily moved into their new home in November of 2009.