Looking back, Sylvia describes a life where she was the one helping others — making sandwiches and delivering them to places where people were hungry. She built a career serving others, working as a sous chef and as a CNA. “I love caring for those struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as caring for children with disabilities.”
Bright, articulate and always eager to learn new things, Sylvia worked hard — often juggling three jobs at once to pay her bills and keep the truck she loved.
Then life changed.
After losing her mother and later her husband to cancer, Sylvia faced a mental health crisis as she tried to confront grief she had never fully processed. In time, she felt broken and hopeless.
That is when the first door of help opened.
Sylvia came to the emergency overnight overflow program at Samaritan House Greeley on the Guadalupe Campus, a shelter serving women, men and families experiencing homelessness in Weld County through Catholic Charities. Overwhelmed by tears and negative thoughts, she was met by staff who recognized her pain. That night, they suggested calling the North Range Emergency Crisis Center and stayed with her as she spoke with a counselor.
That conversation marked the opening of a second door — one that led to medication, treatment programs and ongoing mental health support.
When Sylvia returned to Samaritan House Greeley, her renewed sense of hope was already visible. She looked for ways to help, offering to clean and providing gentle encouragement to new overnight guests.
Her gratitude for the shelter came easily. “They were loving and caring. They do not make us feel like outcasts. It felt like a loving family that wanted to help us.”
Now preparing to move into her own apartment, Sylvia credits God’s intervention and the support she received during a time of serious crisis for saving her life, and she continues to share her faith through prayer and Bible study with others. What once felt like a loss of hope has been replaced with renewed confidence and enthusiasm for the future ahead — the result of doors opening when she needed them most.