Starting over isn’t easy – especially when it means leaving everything, and everyone you’ve known behind. At just 21 years old, Huey Min arrived in Denver, not knowing a soul, carrying the weight of that decision. It was a leap into the unknown, driven by the hope of building a life on her own terms.
“I didn’t have anyone here. No friends, no family. I just remember feeling pretty scared. I knew my family wouldn’t talk to me again after I left so I had to find a way to make it work.”
Huey Min found her way to Samaritan House directly from DIA, where the staff welcomed her with open arms. The shelter became her first foothold in a new city, offering not just a safe place to sleep and three nutritious meals each day, but a network of people there who wanted to get to know her and her story.
Her Samaritan House case workers quickly stepped in to help her navigate this new chapter. Afterall, it was the first time she’d ever been alone. Through their efforts, Huey Min is now being connected with a host family here in Denver—a stable and welcoming home where she can begin to plant roots and continue to work through her trauma. She plans to move in with them soon.
“I am really excited to have a family, to feel at home,” she says. “I made friends here too which has helped me feel better about who I am as a person.”
Huey Min’s story is still unfolding, but her courage and the support she’s received since she landed in Colorado is already shaping a new beginning—one built on trust, connection and the quiet strength it takes to start over.