Grateful for Another Chance: Tamara's Story
Tamara Jaroush’s life is the stuff movies are made of. She grew up during the war in Lebanon, was abused as a young girl, came to America for an arranged marriage, later converted from Islam to Christianity and was disowned by her family. Her first child was born with a rare disease. Tamara appeared to enjoy a comfortable middle-class life, but the hidden truth was she was a victim of domestic violence, and suddenly in 2023, found herself homeless with three young children.
The day I met Tamara she was getting ready to sign a lease for her new apartment. After five months at The Salvation Army of Wake County shelter, she was moving out.
“Besides the birth of my children, this is the most important moment of my life. The Salvation Army made all the difference. Without it I would be on the street today. You saved my life and my children. I’m so grateful.”
When you meet Tamara, she is quick with a bright smile and generous with her warm hugs. She doesn’t mind sharing her story, even the difficult parts, because she believes things happen for a reason and there are lessons to be learned.
“I didn’t understand the suffering until I went through it. I thank God for this experience. When you lose everything and you have children depending on you, you need that push. You need someone to take your hand and give you a push.”
She said her push came at the shelter. Working with social services case managers, she was able to rebuild her life and find stability for her children.
Before coming to the shelter, Tamara lived from hotel to hotel. Sometimes when there was no money for a hotel she slept in her car in a parking lot, until she no longer had a car. Her breaking point came the day she ran out of money and needed to be out of the hotel by 11:00 a.m. Suffering from lupus disease and in pain from a shattered ankle, she had a panic attack. When the EMTs arrived, they wanted to take her to the hospital, but she resisted. She worried about what would happen to her children. Would they be placed in foster care?
The EMTs noticed the large plastic bin of files and paperwork that Tamara had—all the work she had done to try and find help for her family. A social service worker was called in and that’s when Tamara learned about The Salvation Army shelter. She admits, at first, she was resistant.
“I have a college degree, I’ve always provided a good home and a good life for my children, but sometimes really bad things do happen to good people. I decided, okay, we are going to the shelter.”
When the Jaroush’s first arrived, they were part of the nightly drop-in program which meant each day they had to register and hope for a spot and then they needed to be out of the shelter every morning by 7:00 a.m. The day they transitioned to the residential shelter Tamara said her son broke down.
“My 10-year-old cried like an adult. He was so happy we were going to have our own room, and he could decorate the bunk beds and put up his posters. You get so appreciative of something when you work hard for it.”
The Jaroush’s became residents in December 2024. While they were happy to have their own space, the children worried they wouldn’t have a Christmas.
“I told them it’s not going to be the same, but you will have Christmas. The shelter provided us with everything, clothes, coats, and fun activities. To make families feel at home they set up a Christmas tree in every room in the shelter and put gifts under there. They even had a professional photographer come in so we could have a family Christmas photo. It was so much fun.”
Tamara admits there were times when she felt lost and broken. Her children have always been her inspiration to endure.
“Every decision I make for them. I can’t let them down. This is about their future.”
On the day she was moving out I asked Tamara what she was most looking forward to in her new apartment. She answered, “Standing in my kitchen and cooking my family a meal. I haven’t had that for 14 months. Closing my door and saying we’re home.”